Mercosur refused to allow Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky to deliver a speech at the summit of heads of state in Asunción on Thursday, announcing the rotating presidency of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), currently held by Paraguay.
“There was no consensus. This was communicated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs himself to the Ukrainian ambassador to Argentina and Paraguay,” said Raul Cano, deputy foreign minister of Paraguay, the summit’s host country, without clarifying which states expressed opposition to the speech.
Last week, the Ukrainian president contacted his Paraguayan counterpart, Mario Abdo, to request a virtual space to attend the summit, which begins Thursday, after the regular Mercosur council meeting.
When the conflict between Russia and Ukraine started in February, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro insisted that his country would remain “neutral”. Days before the invasion, on February 24, Bolsonaro had traveled to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin.
In late June, during a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Jair Bolsonaro received a commitment from Russia to ensure an “uninterrupted” supply of fertilizers, a vital business for Brazil’s powerful agri-food industry. Then it was Brazil’s turn to assume it intended to buy as much diesel from Russia as possible, despite the invasion and sanctions from the international community.
Meanwhile, Argentine President Alberto Fernandez had traveled to Moscow in early February to meet Vladimir Putin.
In the aftermath of the war, Brazil and Argentina have declined to support an Organization of American States (OAS) statement condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The day before, Alberto Fernandez had complained about the “belligerent escalation” that had led to the war.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky has delivered countless virtual speeches at summits, parliaments and media events, such as at NATO and G7 rallies, at the US Congress and even at the opening of the Cannes Film Festival.
Source: El heraldo
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.
