Brazil, Mexico and Argentina are not among the 24 countries in the Americas that signed the declaration of support for Ukraine and condemnation of Moscow, read this Thursday (6) during the annual meeting of the OAS (Organization of American States) in Lima, Peru. .

Brazil did not sign the document during the OAS meeting – Photo: Juan Manuel Herrera/OAS/Disclosure/ND

The document, to US applause, was presented by Guatemala at the plenary session of the 52nd General Assembly of the Organization of American Countries, the supreme political body of the regional bloc. Despite the fact that the declaration was read during the forum, it is not a decision of the Assembly.

The text, entitled “Continuing Support for an End to Russian Aggression in Ukraine,” speaks of a “new and strong condemnation of the illegal, unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.”

It also highlights “deep concern over the Russian Federation’s indifference and disdain for OAS calls for the withdrawal of its armed forces from Ukraine within internationally recognized borders.”

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken welcomed the adoption of the declaration at the plenary meeting of the OAS: “It is very important that we be united in condemning Russia’s fraudulent referendums as violations of international law and unequivocally reject any attempt to illegally annex Ukrainian territory. “.

“We hope that these countries will also support the resolution on the topic expected at the UN General Assembly “in the coming weeks,” he added.

The Declaration was signed by Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, USA, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay.

“We reaffirm the urgent need to put an end to this invasion and seek a peaceful way out. We cannot tolerate the unbearable, much less tolerate a war that has so deeply affected all of us,” said Guatemalan Foreign Minister Mario Bucaro, presenting the document.

The OAS annual assembly began yesterday with a video message from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who urged the nations of the Americas to stand by their country in the face of a Russian invasion. In March, the OAS called for an end to possible war crimes in Ukraine, and the following month removed Russia from permanent observer status.