Mexico will not impose economic sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced the decision on March 1.
“We are not going to take any sort of economic reprisal because we want to have good relations with all the governments in the world,” said Lopez Obrador at a press conference.
The president also condemned the censorship of media outlets that are run by the Russian governemnt.
“I don’t agree with the fact that media from Russia or any country is censored,” Lopez Obrador added.
Google’s parent company Alphabet has blocked Russia’s government-run media outlet RT and other similar channels from receiving money from any of its platforms, including YouTube, because of the invasion.
The European Union, Switzerland, France, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, and the United States have all issued sanctions against Russia.
According to Reuters, “Russia has built strong links to various governments in Latin America, especially authoritarian administrations in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, but its ties with Mexico are seen to be limited due to the strong U.S.-Mexico relations.”
Other members of the Mexican government have spoken out against the Russian government, including Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard.
The country did join 11 other members of the United Nations Security Council in a vote to condemn Russia for its actions last week. Mexico, however, broke with the EU and chose not to block Russian airlines from landing at its airports
Tourism Minister Miguel Torruco shared a series of tweets over the weekend noting how much of its industry is supported by Russian travelers and patrons.
Russia’s second-largest oil producer also has a majority stake in an offshore oil project in Mexico.
Lukoil announced last week that it had spent $435 million and $250 million in expenditures for 50% operator interest in the project, which is located in the Gulf of Mexico — roughly 42 kilometers off the country’s coast.
The project produces an average of 25,000 barrels of oil a day.
Lopez Obrador took over the office of the president on Dec. 1, 2018. He is in the fourth year of his six-year term after which he cannot seek reelection per Mexican law. His critics have described him as hostile to the media.
