Bimbo Group suspended its sales in Russia after invasion of Ukraine

The Mexican Bimbo Group has joined the reprisals against the Russian government resulting from the invasion of Ukraine.

Through a brief press release, the bread maker of the bear announced on March 14 the suspension of sales and upcoming capital and marketing investments in the country led by Vladimir Putin.

“We will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation as circumstances evolve,” concluded the company, which, for 2021, stated that the Russian market accounted for 0.5% of its net sales, while in Moscow it employs 362 people in one of its facilities.

The decision of one of the largest bakeries in the world joins that of emblematic brands in the United States (USA) such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's or Starbucks, which last week announced almost in unison the suspension of their operations in the Eurasian nation.

Same case with other Mexican brands such as auto parts, Nemak, and the producer of flour and corn tortillas, Gruma, which did the same with its plant in Ukraine.

Since the advance of the Kremlin forces, Russia has accumulated a considerable number of sanctions that various nations and organizations have applied in the diplomatic fields, economic and even sporting.

However, Mexico's position has been different. On March 1, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) confirmed that his country will not retaliate of any kind as it seeks to maintain good relations with world governments.

He also clarified that the application of any type of criminalization is not the responsibility of the Mexican Government, since the most optimal way to collaborate is without falling into prominence: “We cannot fall into a leading role that has nothing to do with the restraint that must prevail in foreign policy,” he said.

Following this position, on March 14, the Chief Executive denied that the agreement for the acquisition of Sputnik V vaccines against COVID-19 between Mexico and Russia will end as a result of the invasion that his army perpetrated on Ukrainian territory.

In his morning conference, the president stressed that the only factor to terminate the contract is that the agreed amount of antigens is reached, otherwise, he stressed, “all commitments must be fulfilled.”

Despite this, he revealed that Mexico will no longer need to buy more biologics because, he said, the Government already has enough to protect the population during 2022; this, without specifying whether it referred to a specific laboratory.

In this vein, he reiterated Mexico's refusal to apply any kind of sanction to the country led by, Vladimir Putin: he affirmed that his country's only appeal will be that delivered to the Council of the Organization which advocates conflict resolution through dialogue and peace.

KEEP READING: