MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador criticized the United States on Tuesday for its swift action to approve aid to Ukraine even as investment in Central America is stalled over “bureaucracy.”
The United States has dedicated billions of dollars in assistance, including weapons, to Ukraine to fend off Russia’s invasion of its neighbor. Russia refers to its incursion as a “special military operation.”
López Obrador has long pressed the United States to invest more in Central America to help tackle the causes of migration. U.S. President Joe Biden has pledged at least $4 billion to promote development in Central America and southern Mexico.
“(The United States) has just authorized resources, and that is fine because it is its policy to protect Ukraine ... but that was approved by the U.S. Congress I think in two days, and the support for the Central American brothers is already for four years and it’s not approved,” he told a news conference.
“The relationship is very good, but there is also a lot of bureaucracy there,” López Obrador added, referring to the United States.