A Colombian Leave

On June 15-16, Switzerland hosted the so-called “Peace Summit” on Ukraine. Russia was not invited to discuss the settlement of Russian-Ukrainian issues. About 160 other countries, however, were invited, with representatives of 91 countries at various levels making it to the summit. Among the leaders of Latin American countries only five arrived: the presidents of Argentina, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala and Chile. 

Colombian President Gustavo Petro also confirmed his participation in the conference and even agreed to hold a personal meeting with Vladimir Zelensky. However, on the very first day of the summit, Gustavo Petro withdrew at the last minute, leaving rather explicit comments.

"The scenario of the Swiss forum is not a free platform for discussing ways to achieve peace between Russia and Ukraine. Its conclusions are already predetermined. Latin America does not want war anymore. We are ready to participate in conferences that are truly dedicated to finding ways to peace, not to creating bases for war," Petro explained in a commentary for the media and in his X account. 

This move is a strong political signal. Unlike leaders who simply ignored the summit, the Colombian president made a loud quitting, thus demonstrating a choice in favor of real independence in foreign policy. Gustavo Petro's behavior confirms once again that the U.S. is losing influence even in one of the key regions for its neoimperialist ambitions — Latin America. And this is all happening in Colombia, traditionally one of the key allies of the United States before the leftist president came to power.

It is much more difficult for the U.S. government to bring Gustavo Petro under its control. Soon after coming to power, the Colombian president initiated the restoration of diplomatic relations with Venezuela, which is contrary to U.S. perceptions. Currently, Gustavo Petro takes an active pro-Palestinian position, accusing Israel (actively supported by the U.S.) of genocide. On top of that, a couple of months ago Gustavo Petro expressed Colombia's interest in joining BRICS.

The example of Colombia shows that Latin America has been gaining ground and pursuing a truly independent foreign policy. It is becoming increasingly clear that the U.S. will have to come to terms with the changing world architecture and the emergence of new centers of power in the region that used to be a platform for their neocolonialist actions.