US Senator Bob Menendez (New Jersey) criticizes Mexico but remains silent to the actions (or inactions) of China, India, and 33 other countries on Russia and Ukraine.
In diplomacy, the words and positions of governments are chosen according to the interests that are at stake and the way in which some United States politicians see other nations as “enemies”, as in the case of Senator Bob Menéndez (New Jersey). ), a key voice as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Ignoring any position of the Government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the US Democrat Senator Robert Menéndez criticized Mexico for refusing to impose economic sanctions on Russia, leaving aside self-criticism towards the United States itself for continuing to buy oil from the Vladimir Putin regime and, above all, not to mention at all other nations, such as China and India, who maintained a questionable position before the United Nations on the invasion of Ukraine.
“I’m not surprised that President López Obrador takes that position, I think it’s a wrong position,” said Menéndez when he was questioned by NTN24 about Mexico’s decision not to economically sanction Russia. “I see that Mexico is taking the side of the oppressor, Russia.”
Although in reality, Mexico maintained a harsh message against Russia and Putin, rejecting the invasion of Ukraine.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard recalled that Mexico took this position because his country had been the object of four invasions, two by France and two by the United States, one of which cost him half of his territory after the war of 1846.
However, when speaking of economic sanctions, the Democrat Senator criticized Mexico, without taking into account the basic economic data, such as the fact that the transactions between that country and Russia are less than 10% of those that the US has with the Russians.
While Mexico carries out annual transactions estimated at $2 billion dollars with the Russians, according to data from the Growth Lab at Harvard University, the commercial exchange between Russia and the US is at least $34.9 billion dollars. Not to mention that, for obvious reasons of profit, the Russian oligarchs preferred to operate from the US than from Mexico, which makes it natural that the Biden Administration has a greater impact on its financial sanctions.
In addition to this, Mexico is not part of NATO or the G-7, organizations directly involved in sanctions and the coordination of military actions with its partners, such as Poland, on Russia.
Source: El Diario
