“European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and a host of other EU leaders will skip this weekend’s summit with Latin American and Caribbean states in Colombia due in part to concerns over angering US President Donald Trump.
Washington’s aggressive stance in the region is one reason for the drop in interest, with the EU reluctant to get dragged into the escalating stand-off.
The EU is reluctant to take sides. Officials say the bloc is committed to working with the US and partners in the region to tackle organized crime, but the battle against drugs should be in accordance with international law and the principles of territorial integrity.
At a time when the EU is trying to deepen relations outside the US, the decision by most of the EU’s leaders to stay away is not a good look and suggests that fear of antagonizing Trump outweighs interest in strategic autonomy.” – Bloomberg
randommathaccount on
Boy I wonder why China is making inroads into Latin America
BandOfTheRedHand1217 on
The Eu are fucking cowards. Do nothing about Russia for years and contiue to buy their oil until it’s to late. Bow to the deranged loser in the Whitehouse.
loseniram on
Pure weakness.
The Latin America world needs to see that you people will stand up to corrupt bullies without having to sacrifice their dreams of freedom, and the people they most need to see it from are running scared.
CentJr on
That’s okay. Protecting one’s interest is alot more important than anything else (especially given Trump’s volatile FoPo)
Edit: also I wonder what Argentina and Guyana would do, given that Colombia is trying to put Venezuela on the agenda of the summit.
-Polimata- on
The continent of Europe has been so thoroughly c*cked by the US it ain’t even funny
MrStrange15 on
So, three are attanding from CELAC, and five from EU? Im trying to find the logic in the phrasing of the title and the spin of the article.
If only three are attending from CELAC, where the meeting is taking place, its then hardly surprising that few from Europe will fly all the way to Colombia for the meeting. If you cant have any bilaterals on leaders level, then why bother?
And its also not like Colombia is in good standing with many CELAC countries.
While its a great angle for American readers, you do have to wonder how much Trump is actually part of the calculation, and how much of it is Colombia and logistics?
7 Comments
“European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and a host of other EU leaders will skip this weekend’s summit with Latin American and Caribbean states in Colombia due in part to concerns over angering US President Donald Trump.
As our [Bloomberg team](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-04/eu-leaders-skip-latin-american-summit-to-avoid-annoying-trump) reported first this morning, only five European leaders and three peers from Latin American and the Caribbean have confirmed they will take part in the gathering — a follow-up to the well-attended [EU-CELAC summit](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-17/eu-seeks-more-sway-in-latin-america-to-counter-russia-and-china) in Brussels in 2023.
Washington’s aggressive stance in the region is one reason for the drop in interest, with the EU reluctant to get dragged into the escalating stand-off.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who is co-hosting the summit with European Council President Antonio Costa, [has been sanctioned](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-25/trump-targets-petro-while-leaving-colombian-business-unscathed) by the US, and branded an “illegal drug leader” by Trump.
The Latin American side is pushing for Venezuela to be put on the agenda in the wake of an [escalating military campaign](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-24/us-strikes-another-alleged-drug-boat-in-caribbean-killing-six) by the US, including striking a ship off the coast of Venezuela last month [killing six](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-14/trump-says-boat-strike-off-venezuela-kills-6-accused-traffickers).
The EU is reluctant to take sides. Officials say the bloc is committed to working with the US and partners in the region to tackle organized crime, but the battle against drugs should be in accordance with international law and the principles of territorial integrity.
At a time when the EU is trying to deepen relations outside the US, the decision by most of the EU’s leaders to stay away is not a good look and suggests that fear of antagonizing Trump outweighs interest in strategic autonomy.” – Bloomberg
Boy I wonder why China is making inroads into Latin America
The Eu are fucking cowards. Do nothing about Russia for years and contiue to buy their oil until it’s to late. Bow to the deranged loser in the Whitehouse.
Pure weakness.
The Latin America world needs to see that you people will stand up to corrupt bullies without having to sacrifice their dreams of freedom, and the people they most need to see it from are running scared.
That’s okay. Protecting one’s interest is alot more important than anything else (especially given Trump’s volatile FoPo)
Edit: also I wonder what Argentina and Guyana would do, given that Colombia is trying to put Venezuela on the agenda of the summit.
The continent of Europe has been so thoroughly c*cked by the US it ain’t even funny
So, three are attanding from CELAC, and five from EU? Im trying to find the logic in the phrasing of the title and the spin of the article.
If only three are attending from CELAC, where the meeting is taking place, its then hardly surprising that few from Europe will fly all the way to Colombia for the meeting. If you cant have any bilaterals on leaders level, then why bother?
And its also not like Colombia is in good standing with many CELAC countries.
While its a great angle for American readers, you do have to wonder how much Trump is actually part of the calculation, and how much of it is Colombia and logistics?