White House: No Plans to Share COVID Vaccines with Mexico

The Biden administration will not consider Mexico's request that the United States distribute coronavirus vaccines to its southern neighbor, the White House said Monday.

"The president has made clear that he is focused on ensuring that vaccines are accessible to every American. That is our focus," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said ahead of a scheduled virtual meeting between President Joe Biden and Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador. "Once we accomplish that objective, we're happy to discuss further steps beyond that."

López Obrador planned to ask that the United States "loan" its coronavirus vaccines during the Monday meeting, according to Reuters. In remarks following the call, the Mexican president said he had not secured a vaccine agreement but noted that "teams from both countries are going to explore all possibilities for cooperation in this area." A joint U.S.-Mexico declaration, which was issued after the meeting, makes no mention of vaccine distribution between the two countries.