Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday congratulated newly elected Argentine President Javier Milei on his inauguration in Buenos Aires, where he also met with the leaders of Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay.
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President Zelensky hoped to drum up support for his country, which is facing invasion by Russian forces, on this first trip to Latin America since the start of the war.
“This is a new beginning for Argentina, and I hope that President Milei and the entire Argentine people will surprise the world with their success,” Zelensky said on social media after attending the investiture ceremony.
Photos showed MM. Zelensky and Milei greet each other with a hug during the swearing-in ceremony.
“I am also confident that bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and Argentina will be further expanded,” emphasized the Ukrainian president.
AFP
Mr. Zelensky congratulated Mr. Milei on his victory in mid-November and thanked him for his “clear support for Ukraine.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin also congratulated Mr. Milei in November. But the Kremlin “took note of a number of statements made by Javier Milei during the election campaign.”
“We will judge him mainly based on the statements he makes after the inauguration,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
The Ukrainian president also discussed the Russian invasion of Ukraine with the leaders of Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay during talks in Buenos Aires on the sidelines of Milei's inauguration.
Both Moscow and Kiev have courted Latin American countries divided over their stance on the Ukraine war.
AFP
“The support and strong common voice of Latin American countries standing by the Ukrainian people in our fight for freedom and democracy is very important for us,” Zelensky said on X after the talks.
He thanked Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou and his country for “supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
The Ukrainian President welcomed Uruguay's participation in the third meeting of foreign advisers on the implementation of the peace formula proposed by Ukraine and invited Ecuador and Paraguay to join it.
He also spoke with Paraguayan President Santiago Peña and “thanked him for his strong support of Ukraine in international organizations.”
During his meeting with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, Mr. Zelensky discussed the possibilities of “expanding bilateral cooperation.”
These three Latin American countries voted in February 2023 for a UN resolution calling for an end to the war in Ukraine.