Travel to the swearing-in ceremony of Milei
Zelensky is looking for allies in Latin America
December 10, 2023, 8:32 p.m
On the occasion of the right-wing populist Milei’s inauguration as the new president of Argentina, Zelensky is traveling to South America for the first time since the Russian invasion. The Ukrainian president is using the event to appeal for solidarity from countries in the global south.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky explored the chances of a Ukraine-Latin America summit during his meeting with presidents of South American states in Buenos Aires. Ukrainian media reported this after Zelenskyj’s talks with the presidents of Paraguay, Ecuador and Uruguay.
Zelenskyj traveled to Buenos Aires for the inauguration of the newly elected Argentine head of state Javier Milei. It was the first time that the head of government traveled to South America since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression on his country. In contrast to the left-wing previous government in Buenos Aires, Milei is considered a determined supporter of Ukraine. The two spoke on the phone immediately after his election victory three weeks ago. “I thanked him for his clear stance. No weighing up between good and evil. Just clear support for Ukraine. This is very well noticed and appreciated by Ukrainians,” Zelenskyj wrote on the X platform at the time.
With his trip to Argentina, Zelenskyj is likely to want to secure the support of countries in the so-called Global South. Many of them find it difficult to support the hard line taken by Western industrial nations towards Russia. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has criticized the Russian attack on Ukraine, but he has held back from making clear statements to Moscow. Most recently, he repeatedly called for an international mediation initiative to resolve the war in Ukraine, but has not yet made any concrete proposals.
Peace formula in the focus of the talks
At Milei’s inauguration, Zelensky had the opportunity to meet several conservative leaders from the region who also support Ukraine. These include Uruguay’s head of state Lacalle Pou, Paraguayan President Peña and Ecuador’s head of state Daniel Noboa. In all discussions, the so-called peace formula from Kiev for an end to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine was primarily discussed. This plan calls for, among other things, the immediate withdrawal of all Russian troops from all occupied territories, including Crimea. The Ukrainian peace plan also includes legal responsibility for Russian politicians and military officials for the war of aggression.
“I hope to see as many Latin American countries as possible at the next talks on the peace formula in Switzerland in January 2024,” Zelensky wrote on Supporting the fight for freedom and democracy is very important to us.”