Ukraine's President Zelenskyy to address Mexico's Congress to gain support in ongoing conflict with Russia, say sources

Mexico City: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address Mexico’s Congress by video on Thursday in an effort to gain support for his nation’s ongoing conflict with Russia, according to two persons with knowledge of the situation. The leftist president of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has come under fire from certain Ukrainian sympathisers for his opposition to European arm supplies to Kyiv. The Mexican administration has stated its desire to maintain neutrality in the crisis. Nevertheless, Mexico has cast a vote on a number of significant UN resolutions with the United States and other Western nations. According to the sources, the address was scheduled to start Thursday at about noon. Zelenskyy’s address to the lower house of Congress came at the invitation of a congressional friendship group between Mexico and Ukraine, according to the sources. There are other similar groups in the Mexican Congress, including one for Russia. The Ukrainian embassy in Mexico did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The German president and the US ambassador to Mexico have been among the diplomatic allies that have sought to persuade the Mexican government to side with Ukraine against Russia. Attempts to sway public opinion in Mexico over the war in Ukraine have led to some notable spats in Congress. Last year, the Russian ambassador to Mexico told Mexican lawmakers that Mexico would never take orders from “Uncle Sam”, prompting the US ambassador to urge Mexico to support Ukraine. Lopez Obrador last year proposed a plan to halt the fighting in Ukraine, although Ukrainian officials opposed it, arguing it would be advantageous to Russia. Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard met separately with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts to discuss the peace plan at the UN General Assembly in September. Nothing has come of the plan so far. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is currently on a Latin American tour, visiting Brazil, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba. Read all the Latest News, Trending News,  Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.