Nicaragua’s relationship with Russia poses a threat to international peace and stability, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel Tovar Rivera during a phone conversation on Thursday, June 4.
On the same day, Laureano Ortega Murillo, son of Nicaragua’s co-dictators, attended an economic forum in St. Petersburg and stated that Nicaragua would continue “strengthening areas of cooperation in security and defense” with Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin.
This alliance is not viewed as a threat solely by the United States. Ukraine shares a similar assessment. During their 19 years in power, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo have steadily deepened ties with Putin and have supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022.
“We discussed Russia’s growing engagement with Nicaragua, including in the military sphere. Moscow continues to export instability far beyond Europe, using military and political tools to expand its influence and undermine regional security,” the Ukrainian foreign minister wrote on his X account.
Sybiha emphasized that the relationship between the Ortega-Murillo regime and Putin demonstrates that “Russia’s aggressive ambitions extend far beyond Ukraine and pose a broader threat to international peace and stability.”
Read also: Nicaragua’s Rulers Double Down on Putin Alliance as Washington Tightens Scrutiny
Ortega-Murillo Children Reaffirm ‘Brotherhood’ with Russia
The remarks came on the same day that two children of Nicaragua’s ruling couple, Laureano and Daniel Edmundo Ortega Murillo, were in Russia participating in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Nicaragua’s dictatorship has reaffirmed what it describes as a relationship of “brotherhood” with Moscow.
During the visit, the delegation signed several agreements covering military cooperation, healthcare, trade, investment, banking cooperation, and communications. Some agreements were signed with the Russian Federation, while others involved Ukrainian regions annexed by Putin—Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
“Here is our Nicaraguan delegation reaffirming our brotherhood with the Russian Federation, promoting and strengthening cooperation in all fields,” Laureano Ortega said in an interview with Russia Today (RT) on Thursday, June 4.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow “greatly values” its friendship with the Ortega-Murillo regime. He added that the two governments have consistently supported one another and will continue to do so.
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Costa Rica’s Growing Concern
On June 2, Costa Rican Foreign Minister Tovar expressed concern during a European tour about the situation in Nicaragua and suggested that the European Union increase pressure on the Nicaraguan regime over democratic issues through the clauses of its Association Agreement with Central America.
“I believe Europe must demand that all member states, whoever they may be, uphold their internationally assumed obligations,” he said.
Since taking office, Costa Rican President Laura Fernández has pledged to uphold human rights, democracy, and peace. Costa Rica currently holds the presidency of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS). The country is among those advocating for Nicaragua’s situation to be addressed once again at the organization’s next General Assembly, scheduled to take place in Panama from June 22 to 24.
Ukraine, meanwhile, severed diplomatic relations with Nicaragua in October 2025. The move came in response to the Ortega-Murillo regime’s recognition of Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Crimea.
The Nicaraguan dictatorship has often aligned itself with Putin’s agenda, in contrast to the public defense of sovereignty that Ortega and Murillo invoke to avoid accountability for the human rights abuses committed against Nicaraguans since 2018. Similar dynamics characterize the regime’s relations with other international allies, including China and Iran.
Read also: Nicaragua Emerges as Iran’s Key Foothold in the Western Hemisphere
According to political analyst Óscar René Vargas, the regime is seeking to strengthen its alliance with Russia as the “only umbrella it has left,” given its growing international isolation. The Trump administration has pursued a foreign policy of “zero tolerance” toward governments it regards as anti-American and as “rebels of the Western Hemisphere,” including Nicaragua.
In fact, late Thursday a congressional hearing scheduled for Friday, June 5, was postponed. The hearing was set to examine Ortega’s ties to Russia and China under the title “Confronting the Totalitarian Ortega-Murillo Regime.”
I preserved the tone and structure of a news report while rendering political references and quotations in natural English journalistic style.
