Some in Latin America Applaud Russia's Ukraine Moves
Some in Latin America Applaud Russia's Ukraine Moves
“Latin America has a very well-honed sense of sovereignty…where is that same sensitivity when it comes to Russia bullying a weaker neighbor?" said AS/COA's Eric Farnsworth to Politico.
This week, all eyes continue to be on Ukraine and what Vladimir Putin will do next as Russia appears on the brink of a full-scale invasion.
The U.S. and its allies, including the EU, Australia and Japan, have begun to roll out penalties largely aimed at Russian banks, sovereign debt and elites, as President Joe Biden on Tuesday called Putin’s moves “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine” and warned of further sanctions. Earlier today, Ukraine moved to declare a state of emergency and urged its citizens to leave Russia immediately as the situation escalates…
“Latin America has a very well-honed sense of sovereignty and non-intervention, which they routinely ring before U.S. audiences … but where is that same sensitivity when it comes to Russia bullying a weaker neighbor?” said Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the think tank Council of the Americas, adding how he has not seen much forceful condemnation coming out of the region on Putin’s moves.
Latin America ultimately isn’t a “strategic location for Russia,” Farnsworth said, but he still expects more engagement to come in the region. “It is a convenience for them. If they can harass U.S. interests … if they can make our lives less convenient by stirring things up in the region, they’re going to be willing to do that.”…
