Mercosur trading bloc rejects Zelenskyy’s request to speak at the summit

South American trading bloc Mercosur has turned down a request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to speak at its upcoming summit, host Paraguay said on Wednesday.

Bloc members Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay failed to reach an agreement on Zelenskyy’s request, which was made to the host country last week, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Raul Cano, who declined to say which states opposed it.

Zelenskyy has addressed several national parliaments, regional and international forums, including NATO, the G7, the World Economic Forum, the United Nations and even the Cannes Film Festival since Russia invaded his country in February.

The Ukrainian leader spoke to Paraguay’s President Mario Abdo Benitez last week and asked to speak at a Mercosur summit scheduled for Thursday, following a ministerial meeting on Wednesday.

“There was no consensus,” Cano said, adding that the decision had been communicated to Kyiv.

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro, whose presence at the summit was not confirmed, has said his country will remain “neutral” on Russia’s war against Ukraine.

In February, a few days before the invasion, he traveled to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Last month, Bolsonaro said he had received assurances from Putin that Russia would continue to supply the South American agricultural giant with much-needed fertilizer.

Last week, Brazil said it would buy as much diesel as possible from Russia, despite international sanctions against Moscow.

Argentinian Alberto Fernandez was also in Moscow at the beginning of February. On the day the invasion began, February 24, Fernandez tweeted that “all parties should not use military force.”

“We call on the Russian Federation to end the measures taken and bring all parties back to the dialogue table,” he said at the time.

Brazil and Argentina did not sign a February 25 Organization of American States (OAS) resolution condemning the war, while Uruguay and Paraguay did.

Mercosur announced on Wednesday that it had signed a free trade agreement with Singapore.

Mercosur’s exports to Singapore in 2021 totaled $5.9 billion and imports $1.2 billion, according to data from the four-member bloc.

Mercosur was founded in 1991 and represents a market of approximately 300 million people and an area of ​​almost 5.8 million square miles (14.8 million square kilometers).

The deal could mean additional exports of about $500 million a year to Singapore, a country of about six million people, Paraguay’s Deputy Economy Minister Ivan Haas said.

Ministers also agreed to reduce the Common External Tariff (AEC) on a range of imported products by 10 percent – a key demand from Brazil.

The bloc imposes common tariffs on imports from abroad, and Argentina – for which Brazil is a key duty-free market – has resisted lowering the AEC.

“It’s a historic decision, an essential decision… especially in times of economic crisis and international inflation,” said Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos Franca, who said it would boost competitiveness and regional production.

Uruguay’s plan to unilaterally negotiate a free trade agreement with China is not officially on the meeting’s agenda.

Mercosur introduced a rule in 2000 making it mandatory to negotiate joint trade agreements with third parties.

Argentina opposes Uruguay’s proposal.