Central American nation recognizes new Russian regions
The country's leadership made the announcement on Wednesday in an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin circulated by local media. The co-presidents said the country's government and its people 'recognize and firmly support the heroic battle Russia is waging against Ukrainian neo-Nazism which is supported by NATO.'
'We stand in solidarity with the Russian Families who have sacrificed the Lives of their Loved Ones in defense of the Russian People and World Peace. We are certain of Russia's victory against these evil forces, against the hegemonic powers, against fascism. The victory of Russia is the victory of humanity,' the letter reads.
The co-presidents expressed their 'full support and full recognition of the Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, and Zaporozhye regions' as integral parts of Russia. The territories were incorporated into the country in late 2022 after the idea was overwhelmingly backed by the local population during a series of referendums.
The announcement drew an angry reaction from Kiev, with Ukraine's Foreign Ministry demanding that Nicaragua further elaborate on the matter, either confirming the recognition of the territories or explicitly refuting it.
'The absence of such a refutation in the near future will be regarded by the Ukrainian side as confirmation of the veracity of such media reports, with all the ensuing consequences,' the ministry warned.
Nicaragua has long backed Russia in the standoff against Ukraine. Managua recognized the incorporation of Crimea shortly after it joined Russia via a referendum in the aftermath of the 2014 Maidan coup in Kiev.
In 2020, Kiev slapped sanctions on Managua after it opened a consulate in Crimea. The restrictions, however, hardly affected Nicaragua's position, with the country striking a trade and economic partnership deal with the Russian peninsula next year, further expanding the cooperation amid the ongoing full-blown hostility between Moscow and Kiev.
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