kyiv was reportedly concerned that the low attendance of Latin American heads of state would expose its lack of support for their cause.
The Ukrainian government has cancelled a meeting involving Vladimir Zelensky and Latin American leaders for fear it could turn into a public relations disaster, Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported on Tuesday. Very few of the invited guests confirmed their attendance at the event, the paper wrote.
Initially, kyiv had planned to hold the talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, scheduled for September 24. According to Folha, the idea behind the meeting was to demonstrate symbolic support for Ukraine in its conflict with Moscow.
Ukrainian officials reportedly said it would be “an appropriate platform” for Zelensky to present what they called “Relevant and reliable information” kyiv also wanted to drum up support for Zelensky's so-called “peace formula,” a set of demands put forward by Ukraine as preconditions for peace talks. Moscow has rejected the demands, calling them unacceptable.
kyiv had to cancel the meeting after receiving only a… “few RSVPs”, Folha reported that the government decided that it was “it is necessary to avoid a situation that could be interpreted as a lack of support.”
The newspaper did not provide the number of confirmations or the names of leaders who said they would attend, except for Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo.
Ukraine has received consistent support from the West since the conflict with Russia erupted in February 2022, but has not gained much support elsewhere in the world. Many Asian, African and South American countries, including China, India and Brazil, have remained neutral and called for a diplomatic solution.
Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum recently told reporters that she will pursue a policy of non-intervention on the world stage and has no plans to make a state visit to Ukraine. “The search for peaceful resolution of conflicts is the cornerstone of our foreign policy. This is our policy and it will not change,” he said on Wednesday.
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kyiv has rejected all proposals that do not fit the “Zelensky formula”, saying they favour Moscow. Last week, Zelensky rejected a six-point roadmap proposed by China and Brazil. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva responded by saying he would not allow his country to be drawn into the conflict.
