Ukraine has officially severed diplomatic relations with Nicaragua after the Central American country recognized large swathes of Ukrainian territory—specifically Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk—as integral parts of the Russian Federation.
The break was announced by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on October 2. The statement condemned Nicaragua’s recognition as a “gross violation of international law,” accusing the Ortega regime of attempting to lend legitimacy to Russia’s annexation by force and thereby undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Ukraine stressed that such recognition is “null and void” under international law and will have no legal effect. It also criticized Nicaragua’s prior steps: the appointment of an honorary consul in the Russian-controlled Simferopol (in Crimea), and the regime’s political identification with the Russian occupation authorities in the occupied Ukrainian regions.
The recognition statement by Nicaragua came via a letter from President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which they expressed “full support and complete recognition” of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia as part of Russia. Nicaragua’s rhetoric also echoed Russian talking points, including claims about “fighting Ukrainian neo-Nazism supported by NATO.”
For Ukraine, the move crossed a red line. The Foreign Ministry denounced Nicaragua’s action as part of a pattern of “unfriendly acts,” and said Kyiv would take the severance as a decisive diplomatic step, part of its broader strategy of responding strongly to any third-party recognition of Russia’s seizure of its territory.
On the Nicaraguan side, recognition has been formalised through government decrees. Notably, a decree granted Laureano Ortega Murillo (son of Ortega and Rosario Murillo) full powers to sign trade and economic cooperation agreements with the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic”. Similar agreements have been arranged for all the four regions that Nicaragua has recognized as part of Russia: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
The severance of ties with Nicaragua adds to the growing list of countries Ukraine has taken diplomatic actions against over recognising Russia’s annexation claims, following widespread international condemnation of those annexations.
