AMLO says that Mexico will not impose economic sanctions on Russia 1:00
(CNN) --
As Russia tends to move closer to pariah status in many countries around the world, it appears that it can still count on the support of a small group of Western countries -- Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela -- and perhaps the growing support from another Central American country.
The latest test of such support came at Wednesday's emergency session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Russia-Ukraine War: Breaking News and Negotiations and Invasion
Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Bolivia joined several dozen other countries in abstaining during a vote to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and demand that Moscow withdraw its troops "immediately, completely and unconditionally."
While Venezuela was unable to formally vote in the session because it has not paid its dues to the UN for several years, it almost certainly would have voted against the resolution or abstained given the opportunity.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week and has said several times that Putin has his “full support.”
After the phone call, Maduro tweeted an old photo of him and Putin shaking hands, blaming the conflict on "NATO destabilizing actions."
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I had a telephone conversation with the president, Vladimir Putin, I ratified Venezuela's condemnation of the destabilizing actions of #NATO.
I reiterated the firm disposition in favor of understanding and dialogue, as a way to preserve Peace.
pic.twitter.com/nTJW5o3jL6
– Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) March 1, 2022
Although the countries did not vote against the resolution, the abstention votes were notable.
It meant that each country decided not to declare illegal and immoral an invasion that the vast majority of the rest of the world considers a flagrant violation of international norms and laws.
Cuba and Nicaragua are longtime allies of Russia, and the link between Cuba and Russia goes back decades.
The Cuban government has blamed the current conflict on the United States and NATO's “increasingly offensive military doctrine that threatens peace”.
Meanwhile, Nicaragua was one of the first countries in the world to formally recognize the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine, two pro-Russian areas that Russia formally recognized shortly before invading Ukraine.
El Salvador's abstention was also revealing, reflecting the country's silence since the conflict began.
The country's president, Nayib Bukele, was extremely vocal in the days leading up to the Russian invasion, mocking US claims that an invasion was imminent.
"The boy who cried wolf," Bukele tweeted on February 18, in response to US President Joe Biden, who said he believed Russia would invade in the next few days.
Mexico will not impose economic sanctions on Russia, says López Obrador
Since Russia invaded, however, Bukele has kept quiet about it.
Meanwhile, Latin American heavyweights, including Mexico and Brazil, have come under fire from those who accuse the two countries of giving Russia a free pass.
Although the UN delegations of both countries voted in favor of condemning the Russian invasion and a military withdrawal, the president of Mexico, López Obrador, and the president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, stopped short of criticizing Putin or imposing sanctions. .
"We are not going to take any economic retaliation because we want to maintain good relations with all the governments of the world," López Obrador said. "We do not consider that this corresponds to us and we think that the best thing is to promote dialogue to achieve peace."
Bolsonaro, who visited Moscow a few weeks ago, has said his country "was not going to take sides."
“We will remain neutral and help where possible to find a solution,” said the president who is currently running for re-election later this year.
Bolsonaro supports Russia's actions and criticizes Zelensky 1:50
Russian invasion of Ukraine