Russia is trying to block US action for the crisis in Nicaragua

Russia rejected US attempts on Wednesday to rally the United Nations Security Council against Nicaragua, the Russian ambassador to the United States accusing the Trump administration of resuming "colonial traditions" for stronger international control of the United States. the Central American nation.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley, the new president of the US Security Council this month, took advantage of these sessions to ask the Security Council to deal with the deadly violence that has killed 300 people in Nicaragua. But Russia and other supporters of Nicaragua have accused the council of interference in the affairs of a sovereign nation.

US Ambassador to Russia Vassily Nebenzia said the United States wants people to think they care about Nicaragua, but that they are only deploying "subversive policies" towards Managua that go back to 30 years.

"We call on Washington to give up colonial traditions and to try to influence the situation in Nicaragua," said Nebenzia, highlighting the Iran-Contra affair, when senior Reagan administration officials secretly financed Nicaraguan rebel groups fighting against the Sandinista-led government.

Haley responded after the meeting.

"I will remind you that those who opposed human rights issues were Russia, China and Bolivia," Haley told reporters. "I do not think there is any surprise there."

Russia, along with Bolivia and China, led this week's efforts to prevent the Security Council from holding the meeting. Diplomats argued that the United Nations should not interfere in Nicaragua's internal affairs if it does not "threaten international peace and security".

Bolivia has long been an ally of Nicaragua, but Russia and China also have interests in the small nation of Central America. Russia is strengthening its security relations with Managua by selling the tanks and arms of the Managua government and has been authorized to build a law enforcement center near the Pacific coast.

China has also invested in Nicaragua, including investors who are developing plans for a $ 40 billion inter-oceanic canal, which would compete with the Panama Canal and fuel the dream of becoming a global maritime power.

Other countries such as Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea and Kuwait also expressed concern over interference in Nicaragua's affairs, but chose not to request a vote that would have derailed the meeting.

Nicaragua's Minister of Foreign Affairs Denis Moncada accused members of the Security Council of interfering in his internal affairs and violating the US Charter, as many members acknowledged that these problems did not pose a threat to security. international.

More than 300 people have been killed since the Ortega government reacted with military forces to student protests for pension cuts. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights last month issued a report accusing his government of violently suppressing opposition demonstrations. Ortega accused the US team of fueling the violence and ousting the human rights team.

Russia hit a sensitive subject. Washington has a long history of interference in Latin America, including supporting military regimes and striving to overthrow leftist governments.

Haley said the United States can not ignore what is happening in Nicaragua as it "continues to decline into a failed, corrupt and dictatorial state." She has repeatedly emphasized Venezuela as a potential example of the greatest attention of the international community.

"Daniel Ortega and Nicolas Maduro are cut off from the same corrupt fabric. They are both students of the same failed ideology. And they are both dictators who live in fear of their own people, "said Haley.