Colombia's president Gustavo Petro said he refused to participate in the conference on Ukraine in Switzerland, as he believes that at this meeting it is impossible to discuss ways to resolve the conflict between Moscow and Kiev.
“I am canceling my trip to a meeting in Switzerland and asking Europe to discuss how to end the war, not prolong it,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). According to Petro, the conference in Switzerland is not a “free forum for discussing the path to peace between Russia and Ukraine”. “All conclusions are already foregone”, he added.
Petro emphasized that “most Latin American countries and the Colombian government do not agree with the extension of the war”. “The dialogue between Russia and Ukraine plays a fundamental role. Creation of a nuclear-weapon-free safe zone that physically separates NATO and Russia and guarantees permanent security for the countries of the former USSR and Eastern Europe, absolute respect for the peoples of Russia and Ukraine within Ukraine and Russia. Restraint of the European Union during enlargement, so as not to start a war”, the Colombian leader wrote.
He also said that Colombia is ready to participate in any efforts to establish a peaceful dialogue between Russia and Ukraine. “International law must be restored and strengthened, not the creation of military blocs of states”, Petro added.
The conference on Ukraine takes place on June 15-16 in the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock. Bern invited more than 160 delegations, including from the Group of Seven, the Group of Twenty and the BRICS countries. The organizers of the meeting later announced that 91 countries and the Serbian region of Kosovo would attend the conference, including 57 heads of state and government, 29 ministers and 6 ambassadors or representatives from all regions of the world, as well as 8 organizations. The leaders of Brazil, China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and South Africa will not attend the event. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told the Group of Seven that only an international conference recognized by both Moscow and Kiev would make peace in Ukraine possible.
The Russian Federation is not among the invitees. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that holding this event was a “road to nowhere”. The ministry noted that Moscow does not see the desire of the West to be fair, although it has never refused a peaceful settlement of the conflict with Kiev.