Colombia's President Gustavo Petro skips Swiss Peace Summit, criticizing the agenda

The President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, has cancelled his participation in the peace summit in Switzerland concerning the situation in Ukraine. According to Colombian media, Petro stated that the meeting favours the escalation of the conflict rather than its resolution.

Gustavo Petro explained that the peace summit, which began on Saturday in Switzerland is not "a free forum to discuss the path to peace between Russia and Ukraine" and that its "conclusions have already been predetermined," reported the newspaper "El Tiempo."

- I am cancelling my trip to the meeting in Switzerland and ask Europe to talk how to end the war, not prolong it - he stated.

The President of Colombia ends his visit to Sweden on Saturday. He added that he plans to return to Colombia the same day.

The Infobae portal provided this information: Initially, the President of Colombia was scheduled to meet with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, in Switzerland.

Zelensky announced on Friday that one hundred countries and international organizations would participate in the conference in Switzerland. He emphasized that they are all united by the common goal of "just and lasting peace."

It is worth noting that the President of Colombia, for a long time, refused to condemn Russia for the invasion of Ukraine. However, in June 2023, after the Russian missile attack on a civilian target in Kramatorsk, which injured three Colombians, he ordered a formal protest to be sent to Moscow.