Latin American governments join forces to evacuate their citizens from Ukraine

Eighteen Latin American and Caribbean countries asked the United Nations on Monday to assist with the evacuation of their citizens as Russian forces continue to attack major cities across Ukraine.

In a letter made public by the delegation of the Dominican Republic to the U.N., the countries called for the "good offices" of the Secretary General António Guterres to support efforts to evacuate their nationals and their families, Deutsche Welle reported.

"We are sure that His Excellency will agree that, given the seriousness of the situation, our governments must act with the utmost diligence to protect the integrity of our citizens in Ukraine," they wrote.

Ultimately, the letter was signed by representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic.

Similar efforts are being made by other intergovernmental organizations such as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), led by Argentina who holds the Presidency Pro Tempore of the 32-member body.

On Saturday, the Argentine Foreign Ministry announced the launch of a “joint evacuation plan” among ten Latin American countries and embassies and consulates of member states in Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania are coordinating efforts to help their citizens evacuate the conflict zone.

Last week, Brazil's Foreign Ministry Communications Secretary Leonardo Gorgulho hinted at such efforts, but warned that “no country is in a position to proceed with an evacuation or rescue operation” until security conditions are guaranteed.