Mexico demanded the cessation of the Russian invasion in Ukraine to bring humanitarian aid

During Juan Ramón de la Fuente's most recent speech, Mexico's ambassador to the UN at the United Nations Security Council made clear the country's position on the Russian invasion.

According to the diplomat, the balance not only of millions of Ukrainian refugees, but also deaths and attacks are “devastating”, so, first of all, he recognized the work and solidarity of all the countries that have received refugees, including, of course, Mexico.

“These are exorbitant numbers, especially if we remember that a month ago we were sitting in this room evaluating the implementation of the Minsk agreements,” he said.

In this regard, he assured that Mexico's humanitarian aid strategy begins by assessing the needs of people who have not been able to be evacuated from restricted areas, which are increasing and will continue to grow, specifically those who lack access to medicines, drinking water or food for the time being.

For this reason, he considered that it is urgent to ensure the safe and unhindered entry of all humanitarian and health personnel, since according to De la Fuente, they are “the only ones who can provide such basic services to the civil organization”.

In this context, it took a stand against recent attacks on medical facilities in Ukraine, at least 43, which is “expressly prohibited by international humanitarian law”; in view of this, it demanded that respect be guaranteed for medical facilities located on or within the lines of conflict.

In this regard, he argued that Mexico deplores attacks on health personnel, their means of transport or equipment required to operate on Ukrainian territory, which it said unacceptable, because “the short and long-term consequences of these actions on the civilian population and against health systems may be irreversible.”

And he called for compliance with Security Council resolutions, such as 2286, which includes references to the protection of health and humanitarian personnel, and 2573 on civilian objects considered indispensable.

In view of this, he joined the most recent decision of the International Court of Justice ordering the immediate suspension of Russia's invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24, 2022.

However, he assured that the most opportune thing, since both the UN and various actors are directing their efforts to provide aid to the population, is to reiterate that the solution to the conflict could be found through dialogue and democracy.

Recently, the ambassadors of Mexico and France announced that they are working on a draft resolution for humanitarian aid in Ukraine, which will be submitted to the General Assembly, in response to attacks by Russian troops on Ukrainian territory since the end of February.

It was before the General Assembly instead of the Security Council, because in the latter Russia has the power of the veto. In addition, resolutions voted on in the General Assembly are not binding, that is, they do not require compliance. Although there is still no specific date for the vote, the French ambassador to the UN, Nicolas de Rivière, pointed out that, “the sooner, the better.”

For his part, his Mexican counterpart, Juan Ramón de la Fuente, explained that the project will focus and will have as priority the humanitarian issue. The objective, they detailed, is the immediate “cessation of hostilities” in order to protect the civilian population.

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