The supply from the US sounded interesting: if Latin American nations donated their ageing Russian-made navy equipment to Ukraine, Washington would substitute it with superior American weaponry.

However removed from taking over the US proposal, which was revealed final month by Common Laura Richardson, head of the US Southern Command, Latin America’s leaders lined as much as denounce it.

“Even when they find yourself as scrap in Colombia, we is not going to hand over Russian weapons to be taken to Ukraine to lengthen a struggle,” Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s leftwing president, responded. “We’re not with both facet. We’re for peace.”

“Brazil has no real interest in passing on munitions for use within the struggle between Ukraine and Russia,” President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva mentioned. “Brazil is a rustic of peace. At this second, we have to discover those that need peace, a phrase that has up to now been used little or no.”

Neighbouring Argentina took an analogous line. “Argentina isn’t going to co-operate with the struggle,” a defence ministry spokesperson mentioned. “It’s not applicable to co-operate by sending arms to the battle in Europe.”

Requested whether or not any Latin American nation had taken up Washington’s supply, Jose Ruiz, a spokesperson for US Southern Command, mentioned it was “our coverage to not disclose the particulars of ongoing personal discussions with our democratic companions, focus on particulars in regards to the defence sources of different sovereign nations, or speculate about any assist to Ukraine”.

Germany’s chancellor Olaf Scholz additionally got here away apparently empty-handed from a current go to to Brazil, Argentina and Chile, after Lula refused a request to resell tank ammunition to Berlin to be used in Ukraine and Alberto Fernández, Argentina’s president, rejected sending arms to Europe. Chile’s president Gabriel Boric, whose leftwing coalition consists of pro-Moscow communists, solely provided Kyiv assist with clearing mines.

Latin America’s unwillingness to supply weaponry for Ukraine stands in sharp distinction to European nations equivalent to Britain, which have been within the vanguard of efforts to provide Kyiv with trendy arms. Final week London promised to look into sending fighter jets to Ukraine.

On paper, Latin America’s navy might present invaluable weapons for Ukraine. Chile and Brazil’s armies each use the extremely regarded German-made Leopard tank that Kyiv is searching for.

Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador have all purchased Russian-made MiG transport helicopters and in some circumstances Russian surface-to-air missiles or anti-tank missiles, tools appropriate with that utilized by Ukraine’s navy. Peru is reported to have serviceable MiG and Sukhoi navy jets.

Nonetheless, Latin America’s leftwing presidents view the Ukraine battle in a different way to Individuals or Europeans.

Hardly any have gone so far as to line up behind Moscow’s three loyal Latin American allies — Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Most have strongly condemned Russia’s assault on Ukraine. However they disagree with Washington and Brussels on the best way to finish the struggle, saying the emphasis needs to be on a right away ceasefire with out preconditions, moderately than supplying arms.

“I don’t assume sending weapons to lengthen a battle has assist in Latin America,” Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s international minister, instructed the Monetary Instances.

“Neither does it appear very clever as a result of the prices are going to be very excessive for the European Union, for Russia and to a point for everybody else . . . the inclination I see in Latin America . . . is to attempt to search or think about how there may very well be a political resolution to this battle.”

Mexico’s president Andrés Manuel López Obrador publicly criticised Scholz for agreeing to ship Leopard tanks to Ukraine, saying Berlin had been compelled to take action towards the desires of most Germans “due to stress from the German media”.

Christoph Heusgen, head of the Munich Safety Convention, mentioned he noticed “a sure equidistance in some Latin American nations” over Ukraine. “They see it in a different way — as an extension of the East-West battle, as Russia towards the US, or Russia towards Europe,” he mentioned. “And my level is that this isn’t about East towards West, that is a few violation of the UN Constitution, a violation of the rules-based order.”

López Obrador and Petro’s criticisms of western arms shipments to Ukraine had been praised by the Russian embassies of their respective nations. However diplomats and international coverage consultants level out that they match into an extended Latin American custom of non-interference within the affairs of different nations.

Maria Angela Holguín, a former Colombian international minister, mentioned the Ukraine battle had rekindled unwelcome recollections in Latin America of the chilly struggle between the US and Soviet Union.

“The area is returning to its non-aligned stance,” she mentioned. “These nations additionally really feel that China and Russia would possibly supply them helpful assist in future, for instance within the occasion of a distancing from the USA, so that they don’t need to get right into a confrontation with them.”

There may be additionally an financial crucial behind the Latin leaders’ stance. In frequent with different growing areas, Latin America has been hit laborious by will increase in international gasoline and fertiliser costs for the reason that struggle started and desires to see the combating finish as quickly as potential.

Celso Amorim, a international minister in earlier Lula governments and nonetheless an influential adviser, mentioned Brazil’s refusal to provide arms to Ukraine was not associated to the essential agricultural sector’s want for Russian fertiliser.

“It’s a query of peace and the way we expect we are able to attain negotiations,” he mentioned. “Brazil has been talked about by numerous nations as a potential go-between due to its function within the Brics. Brazil doesn’t need to disqualify itself from any negotiations which it might undertake.”

Opinion polling suggests Latin American leaders are in tune with their individuals on this concern.

Some 73 per cent of Latin Individuals polled by Ipsos final yr “declare that their nation can not afford to lend monetary assist to Ukraine, given the present financial disaster”, mentioned Jean-Christophe Salles, Latin America chief govt of the pollster Ipsos.

“Two main nations, Argentina and Mexico, are significantly towards any assist to Ukraine, a majority claiming the issues of Ukraine are none of their enterprise.”