The EU-CELAC summit in Santa Marta has been effectively hijacked by its host, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who is using the international platform to prosecute a case against the United States. Petro’s national outrage over a deadly US military operation has superseded the summit’s official bi-regional agenda, transforming the meeting into a tribunal on US policy.
The source of Petro’s outrage is a US operation that has killed over 60 people, including at least one Colombian, with another Colombian as a rare survivor. His repeated, powerful condemnation of these deaths as “extrajudicial executions” has become the summit’s unavoidable central theme.
This host-led hijacking has been surprisingly effective. The summit’s official goal—the “Declaration of Santa Marta” on renewable energy and food security—is now a non-issue. The European Union, the other partner in the talks, is leaderless, with top officials like Ursula von der Leyen absent, citing “scheduling conflicts.”
This has left Petro, bolstered by the strategic support of Brazilian President Lula, in total control of the narrative. Lula’s own agenda, to show “solidarity with Venezuela” against US threats, perfectly complements Petro’s grievance, creating a unified Latin American front.
What was intended as a meeting to “strengthen ties” between two regions has been successfully commandeered by its host. It is now a powerful, one-sided platform for Petro to demand accountability from the US for the “extrajudicial executions” of his citizens.