April Brief: Canada’s versus Mexico’s Stance on Ukraine

Canada’s versus Mexico’s Stance on Ukraine

The entire world has felt the political, economic, and humanitarian consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The West, led by the US, has mobilised several allies to confront Russia over its actions and to provide Ukraine with military, financial, and humanitarian support. Other countries refrained from direct support, yet publicly condemned Russia for its aggression. A lot has been written about the United States, but how do its neighbors – Canada and Mexico – position themselves regarding Ukraine? Are they on the same page?

Canada’s Stance  

Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau positioned the country firmly behind Ukraine. Overall, Canada has contributed almost €5.8 billion in financial, military, and humanitarian aid since the start of Russia’s war. This makes it the eighth-largest supporter of Ukraine in absolute terms. 

Recently, Trudeau visited Kyiv on the 24th of February 2024 and signed a $3.02 billion Canadian dollar ($2.21 bn USD) security package with Zelenskyy. Doing so on the second anniversary of the Russian invasion is symbolic – both of Canada’s support for Ukraine and Ukraine’s resilience and resistance. The security package contains a ten-year commitment from Canada to support Ukraine in its independence and sovereignty with both military and financial aid. More specifically, it encompasses 320 million Canadian dollars in military spending and 2.4 billion in loans. Beyond that, Trudeau delivers 75 million dollars in peace and security assistance to help Ukraine deter Russian espionage efforts in the fields of cyber and intelligence. Notably, the security deal also comes with a ten-point peace plan, which includes post-war reparations from Russia and the restoration of Ukraine’s sovereignty over its territory. Overall, Canada’s security deal consists mostly of soft power, which is a result of its lack of military capabilities. Hard power and military support are certainly the less impressive part of the security package, even though it does contain commitments to e.g. train the Ukrainian Air Force to fly F-16 fighter jets as well as providing it with 800 drones from a Canadian supplier. 

Mexico’s Stance

Mexico’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been divided. From the start, President Andres Manuel López Obrador stated that his country would remain impartial in the war. Consequently, Mexico has not delivered any bilateral support for Ukraine. López Obrador has also criticised the US for the pace with which it has sent aid to Ukraine while investment projects in Mexico and Central America are lagging due to bureaucratic difficulties. Mexico also refused to impose sanctions on Russia and criticised the European Union’s focus on military support. After Ukrainian authorities requested military help from Mexico’s senate, its government doubled down in its commitment to not send weaponry. However, Mexico has taken a strong role in the United Nations, joining other countries in opposing Russia’s aggression. Within the Eleventh Emergency Special Sessions of the United Nations General Assembly, Mexico has voted for five of the six resolutions that condemned Russia for its actions over the course of the last two years. This puts it rather close to Western states and differentiates it from the likes of e.g. China, which has voted against or abstained from the vote in all six resolutions.

In conclusion, Mexico and Canada follow a different approach when it comes to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. While Canada committed itself to delivering financial, military, and humanitarian support, Mexico tried to remain largely neutral. Although this has prevented Mexico from sending bilateral support, the country has repeatedly voted against Russia in the United Nations General Assembly, which positions it closer to the West than many other countries. Hence, Mexico’s lack of material support should not ultimately be interpreted as siding with Russia.