The Head of the Office of Ukraine’s President Andriy Yermak held a phone conversation with Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico Alicia Bárcena on 3 January, the Office of Ukraine’s President reported.
Previously, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador proposed a five-year worldwide ceasefire, implying Ukraine as well, Excelsior reported. However, the Mexican leader said that his country would not impose sanctions against Russia. Later, Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the Head of the Office of Ukraine’s President, criticized such a “peace initiative,” stating that such a plan benefits only the Kremlin.
According to the statement, the Mexican Embassy reopened in Kyiv. In the phone conversation, Yermak reportedly “appreciated Mexico’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and thanked for the resumption of the work of the Embassy of Mexico in Kyiv,” the Presidential Office said. “These steps open a new page in bilateral relations between the countries,” Yermak is reported as saying.
The officials also discussed preparations for the next meeting of national security and foreign policy advisers of the leaders, which will be devoted to implementing the provisions of the Ukrainian Peace Formula and will take place in Switzerland in January.
“The Head of the Office of the President invited representatives of Mexico to take part in this meeting, as well as in the Global Peace Summit,” the report said.
Yermak and Bárcena also discussed the “ways of intensifying relations between Ukraine and Latin America.”
Since the full-scale Russian invasion, Ukraine has started to pursue a broader course in international politics, engaging with its existing partners and seeking ties with countries of the Global South, including the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Earlier, Ukraine opened the Ukrainian Embassy in Ghana, an African country, for the first time, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said on 27 December on social media. Opening the embassy in Africa is part of Ukraine’s strategy for countering Russian influence worldwide. The support of these countries is also crucial for implementing Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s initiative to hold a global peace summit to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian war.
“Expanding Ukraine’s diplomatic presence will also open up new opportunities for the Ukrainian state, business, and citizens,” Kuleba said.
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