US Told Mexico Adding to Its Fleet of Russian Helicopters Could Mean Sanctions

What a great neighbor to have

Mexico could feel the wrath of its northern neighbor if it buys helicopters from Russia as that country’s foreign minister claims it is considering.

Under United States law, Mexico could face sanctions if it goes ahead with the purchase, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday.

Hugo Rodríguez, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, made the assertion in response to a question from a lawmaker during a hearing Thursday of the United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.

“Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently announced that Mexico was in talks to purchase Russian-made helicopters. If that were to proceed, would it risk sanctions by the United States under section 231 of the CAATSA Act?” asked Democratic Party Representative Dean Phillips at the hearing to assess U.S. security assistance to Mexico.

The CAATSA Act is the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, a law promulgated by U.S. President Donald Trump in 2017 that has imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea and Russia.

“We have looked into that; we obviously saw that readout of the meeting between Foreign Minister Lavrov and Foreign Secretary Ebrard,” Rodríguez told Phillips. He was referring to the meeting between the two men in Mexico City last week, after which Lavrov said that the Mexican government was looking at proposals to purchase helicopters from Rosobronexport, the state-owned Russian agency responsible for the import and export of defense products.

“We read it with great interest and it is concerning to us. Based on our initial investigation, it appears that such a sale would potentially trigger sanctions under CAATSA,” he said.

“Have we made our position clear to our Mexican friends?” asked Phillips.

“I believe we have at the embassy level. … At the Washington level, we have raised this as an area of concern with our counterparts in Mexico City to raise with the government of Mexico,” Rodríguez said.

The news agency AFP reported that after the official’s appearance before the foreign affairs subcommittee, it was told by an unnamed source at Mexico’s Secretariat of Foreign Affairs that the government is not in fact negotiating with Russia to purchase helicopters.

Before he took office in December 2018, President López Obrador announced the cancelation of a contract to purchase helicopters from United States firm Lockheed Martin in order to save money.

The Mexican military already has an extensive fleet of Mil Mi-17 Russian-made helicopters.

Source: Mexico News Daily

27 Comments
  1. cechas vodobenikov says

    when the insecure amerikan fascists created the OAS in order to subdue Cuba only Mexico refused to break relations w Cuba….I suspect that Mexico will say “ni vale madre” to the faltering imperialist fake empire as the USA recedes into the dustbin of history

  2. XRGRSF says

    Before long the U$ will succeed in sanctioning itself out of business. It’s sort of like sawing off the limb that you’re standing on.

  3. Frank Williams says

    Well…if the jUSA decides to nuke mexico, at least that would stem the tide of illegal imm ahem, “migrant workers.”

  4. Mikhail Garchenko says

    “…que se chinguen a tu madre, gringo pendejo..!” 😛

  5. tapatio says

    Mexicans have a saying………….

    Pobre de Mexico –
    Tan lejo de Dios y tan circa de los EUA.

    Poor Mexico –
    So far from God and so close to the USA.

    1. Frank Williams says

      Americans have a saying………………….
      Start shit with US beaner
      and we’ll shove your sombrero
      up your arse hole

      1. tapatio says

        Aww, you pore lil ‘tater-head, Mexico will buy from whatever country it wants and your douche-bag orange clown can do nothing – unless he wants to be blamed for $5/Lb tomatoes, like he is responsible for the hardships his tariffs are already causing in the US.

        Kindly F**k Off.

      2. Unite2014 says

        Yes Frank Williams, you are a retard.

      3. brian niziol says

        You stole that from the Vietcong who used to say get on your horse and leave or we will shove that cowboy had right up your butt. Only difference is they did it and you just beak off about it.

  6. jm74 says

    What a golden opportunity Mexico has; it can now cancel the current trade agreement with the US and Canada, send refugees over the border and close the US Embassy. Trade with China, Russia, Iran and anyone else except the 5 Eyes Nations.

    1. CHUCKMAN says

      Not if it wants to survive intact.

      But it does point to a far more competitive future in the world, exactly what the US is working hard to avoid with its diktats.

      1. Unite2014 says

        The rest of the world could easily collectively cease to trade with America all together and the world would be a much better place for it. America would vanish into the abyss within a year.

    2. tapatio says

      Do you have any clue about how long it would take CIA and Mossad operatives to organize ‘protests’>Riots>Terrorism>’Revolution’ in Mexico? Less than a week.
      Do you know what Trump and his white supremacist followers would do to every Hispanic in the US? Drive out all that they didn’t murder.

      1. jm74 says

        So your solution is to do nothing and lie down to get shafted? People of your mentality and attitude is why the US and the like get away with whatever they impose. Start by standing up for yourself “No pain no gain”!

        1. tapatio says

          Just where did you get the idea that I think one should do nothing? From your tushy?

          I taught in Mexico for several years and am only back in the US because of grandchildren.

          A little racist potentate, like Trump, would love to close the Mexican border with thousands of troops and send the CIA to use their drug cartels for real terrorism.

          There are thousands of things that can be done to undermine the empire without putting Mexico on the dirty end of a trade war.

          1. jm74 says

            Yeah well whatever, your problem.

            1. tapatio says

              If that were the case, you would not have had a bitch-fit.

            2. jm74 says

              Typical Mex response; still crying over the Alamo. People like you are traitors to your own country, living and supporting a foreign state. No asked for your comment also.

            3. tapatio says

              Do you fantasize that someone asked for your opinion? This is a DIscussion (‘DI’ means two or multiple). If you make a comment, anyone can reply.

        2. XRGRSF says

          Tapatio’s solution for almost everything is to roll over, and take it in the a…….. He firmly believes that there is no hope in opposition to government.

          1. jm74 says

            I did gather that, Alamo comes to mind.

    3. thomas malthaus says

      The coronavirus is said to have an incubation period that can stretch to 24 days. Can you imagine the chaos of a mass exodus of asymptomatic aliens crossing the southern border?

      What would happen to similarly affected (infected populace) Middle East countries where the US military has a presence?

  7. CHUCKMAN says

    Sanctions are now just a standard part of the American State Department’s kit-bag used to sell American products abroad.

    There is some form of threat or aggression in everything Washington does abroad.

    In the longer run, this approach is going to undermine America’s position in the world.

    Grown-ups do get tired of being told what to do.

  8. David Chu says

    The Lord Emperor of the Universe and Beyond will dictate how you will shit and what you will eat and when to do these thingies. And that’s an order!

    1. tapatio says

      The ONLY “Lord Emperor of the Universe and Beyond” any human should care about is God – of whatever form he/she/it takes in the mind of humans.

      The Rothschilds and their puppets, like Trump, BoJo, Macron, etc, should be swept aside like so many hyenas.

  9. Paulo Henrique says

    USA think it’s the new Rome?

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