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Reuters
Reuters
Politics

Mexico criticizes U.S. for prioritizing Ukraine aid over Central America

FILE PHOTO: Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gestures as he attends the inauguration ceremony of the new Felipe Angeles International Airport, in the Zumpango municipality in Mexico state, Mexico March 21, 2022. REUTERS/Gustavo Graf/File Photo

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez 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."

Lopez 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," Lopez Obrador added, referring to the United States.

(Reporting by Raul Cortes; writing by Cassandra Garrison; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

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