These Countries Are Loudly Supporting Russia's Ukraine Invasion

Russia’s ongoing invasion of the former Soviet state Ukraine has drawn international condemnation, but some world leaders continue to support Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the invasion of Ukraine last Thursday. Since then, 28 of NATO’s 30 members, including Europe, the United States and Canada, have expressed full support for Ukraine and slammed Russia’s attack.

Despite international condemnation, some countries continue to be on friendly terms with Russia, with some backing Moscow over its decision to invade Ukraine.

List Of Countries Supporting Russia

Cuba

Days before the Russian invasion, Cuba released a statement where it accused the U.S. of threatening Moscow and manipulating the dangers and threat of an “imminent” invasion of Ukraine.

Bruno Rodriguez, Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, also released a statement where he said Russia had the right to “defend itself.”

North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has demanded that the U.S. cease its “hostile policy for isolating and weakening” Russia. Prior to the attack on Ukraine, North Korean diplomats met with their Russian counterparts to discuss “strategic cooperation” and “issues of mutual concern.”

Pakistan

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan met with Putin amid the Russian invasion. The two world leaders discussed a number of issues, not including the crisis in Ukraine. Khan said he regretted the situation and said he hoped diplomacy could have prevented the military conflict.

Khan is the only world leader to have physically met with Putin since the beginning of the attack.

Syria

Syria was one of the first to recognize the two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine after the Russian president acknowledged them as independent states. Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad also had a phone call with Putin on Feb. 25 where he expressed strong support for the invasion, which he called a “correction of history and restoration of balance.”

Venezuela

Venezuela, a known ally of Russia, slammed the U.S. and NATO for allegedly heightening the tensions and violating the Minsk accords. The country did not lay blame on Russia for the invasion.

List Of Countries That Have Remained Neutral

Belarus

A video footage released last week showed Russian troops passing through the Belarusian borders into Ukraine.

The country is also estimated to be hosting at least 30,000 Russian troops who have taken part in joint military drills in February. It is unclear when the Russian troops would leave Belarus. Many of its assets, including fueling stations, were also made available to Moscow.

In addition, a U.S. defense official also warned that Belarus may send its soldiers into Ukraine to support Russia’s invasion as soon as this week.

Despite this, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he refuses to get involved in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Brazil

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has refused to condemn Putin’s actions, but said he was monitoring the crisis in Ukraine with “great concern.” However, he criticized Vice President Hamilton Mourao for expressing support for Ukraine, saying only the president should speak about the conflict.

China

Recent statements released by China’s foreign ministry suggested that the country would support Russian demands. While it has yet to publicly condemn or express support for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the Chinese government has criticized the sanctions that the West imposed against Russia.

“The US has imposed sanctions on Russia for more than 100 times since 2011,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said. “Facts show that sanctions are never the fundamental or effective way to solve problems.”

India

India has so far refused to impose economic sanctions on Russia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who spoke with Putin following the launch of the attacks, said he hoped to see the return of diplomatic negotiations.

While India has strong ties with the U.S., it relies on Russia for its advanced weaponry.

Turkey

Ukraine previously asked Turkey to block Russian warships from accessing the Black Sea through the straits under its control. The country has yet to make a formal decision but said it may not be able to prevent the ships from going back to their home base.