Latin America has failed to react strongly against Russian imperialism. That’s a big mistake | Opinion

While the United States, the 27-country European Union and Japan responded with new sanctions against Russia’s imperialist annexation of four regions in Ukraine, Latin America’s reaction, in most cases, was pathetic.

A day after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Sept. 30 decree declaring the four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine to be part of Russia, few Latin American countries had condemned Russia’s land grab, and virtually none announced economic or diplomatic sanctions on Russia.

Brazil’s right-wing government was one of only four countries — alongside China, India and Gabon — that abstained from condemning Russia’s annexation during a Sept. 30 vote by the United Nations Security Council. The U.S.-sponsored resolution was approved by 10 countries, but was vetoed by Russia.

In addition, some Latin American countries, including Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, have supported Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine earlier this year and are expected to back Putin’s latest expansionist move. Ironically, they claim to be champions of national sovereignty, yet applaud Russia’s unprovoked takeover of parts of a sovereign neighbor.

Putin signed the decree annexing Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia shortly after carrying out sham referendums in these occupied territories. The referendums were denounced by most of the world as being held at gunpoint and rigged.

Even normally spineless U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres called the annexations invalid, and declared Russia’s takeover of the four territories a violation of the U.N. Charter.

The Biden administration rolled out new penalties on companies that supply Russia’s war machine and its newly annexed Ukrainian territories, as well as visa sanctions on about 900 Russian officials and their families, including almost 300 legislators.

But, at the time of this writing, most Latin American countries — with a few exceptions, such as Mexico and Chile — remained silent. Diplomats told me some would condemn Russia’s land grab in coming days, but would not go as far as announcing sanctions on Russia.

Ruslin Spirin, Ukraine’s special envoy for Latin American affairs, told me in a telephone interview from Kyiv that the lack of an active international response to Russia’s annexation of the four regions could set a “dangerous precedent” for Latin America.

If Russia, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, is allowed to conquer a sovereign country like Ukraine without serious international sanctions, it could become a precedent for the United States or any other country to invade a Latin American nation, he told me.

Spirin added that, “Latin American countries should join international sanctions against Russia.”

Asked what actions countries should take, Spirin said that, in addition to condemning Russia’s annexation, the international community should at the very least expel Russia from the U.N. Security Council and strip it of its veto power in that key forum.

When I asked Ukraine’s ambassador to Mexico, Oksana Dramaretska, about Latin America’s reaction to Putin’s land grab, she said, “Now is the time to react very strongly, and not just with words.”

I agree. So far, Latin America’s response to Russia’s illegal annexation has been too little, and too late.

One could argue that poverty-ridden Latin American countries can hardly afford to impose economic sanctions on Russia that could hurt their own economies. Brazil, for instance, relies heavily on imports of Russia’s fertilizers for its agricultural exports.

But rich and poor countries should send an unequivocal message to the Russian people that no country can get away with such blatant violations of international law.

Would most Latin American countries have reacted with the same passivity if the United States invaded four northern Mexico states, held sham referendums and later annexed them? Of course not. They would have immediately expelled the U.S. ambassadors, and broken relations with Washington, justifiably.

At the very least, Latin American democracies should denounce Russia’s imperialism much more forcefully, start treating Russian ambassadors in their countries as diplomatic pariahs and suspend all cultural and sports agreements with Russia.

If they don’t take such measures, they will help normalize the biggest forceful land grab in Europe since World War II and set a precedent that one day may come back to haunt them.

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