Mexico does not accept Russian invasion of Ukraine: president

Andres Manuel Lopez Ombrador, the Mexican President, said Saturday that Mexico would not accept the Russian invasion Ukraine. He made this statement in a video message to coincide with a global support event for the Ukrainian victims of conflict.

“We do not accept Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, because we have suffered from invasions,”Lopez Obrador referred to the Spanish, French, American invasions of the Latin American nation.

“We are in favor of a peaceful solution to the conflict.”

Justin Trudeau, Canada’s Prime Minister, invited Lopez Obrador earlier this week to the event he hosted with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, to raise funds to help Ukrainian refugees and internally displaced persons.

Lopez Obrador stated Wednesday that he could not attend but had promised to release a video “to condemn the invasion.”

Lopez Obrador tried to remain neutral in this conflict and declined to impose sanctions on Russia.

While his government backed a United Nations vote urging Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine, Mexico abstained in a vote on Thursday at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on suspending Russia from the U.N.’s human rights body.

(Reporting and Editing by Dave Graham Editing: Nick Zieminski