The upcoming EU-CELAC summit in Santa Marta, billed as Colombia’s most ambitious diplomatic event in over a decade, is now being reshaped by a cascade of cancellations from European leaders following U.S. sanctions against President Gustavo Petro. What was expected to unite more than 60 heads of state from Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean is instead emerging as a vivid display of geopolitical tension stretching from Washington to Brussels to Bogotá.
The turning point came late last month, when the U.S. Treasury added Petro, his wife Verónica Alcocer, his son Nicolás Petro Burgos, and close allies to the Specially Designated Nationals (OFAC) list – commonly known as the “Clinton List.” The sanctions, issued under counter-narcotics authorities, freeze any U.S.-linked assets and block transactions with U.S. individuals or institutions. The move marked an unprecedented step against a Colombian president.
Soon after, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz quietly informed Colombian officials they would no longer attend the November 9 -10 gathering in Santa Marta. According to diplomats quoted by international news agencies, the decisions were driven partly by fears of antagonizing Washington at a moment when U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Petro of being an “illegal drug dealer,” tightened sanctions, and authorized U.S. military strikes against alleged drug-trafficking boats in Caribbean waters.
Only five European leaders and three heads of state from Latin America and the Caribbean have formally confirmed attendance – far below the 60 expected when Colombia secured hosting duties.
Petro responded forcefully. In a series of messages posted on X, he said: “Forces foreign to the peace of the Americas have wanted the IV CELAC-EU summit to fail.” He argued that global alliances around fossil fuels and weakening democratic norms are undermining the meeting, adding: “In the new fossil-fuel and anti-democratic geopolitics, there is an effort to prevent the peoples who desire freedom and democracy from coming together.”
The president maintained that Colombia is ready to receive all delegations, writing: “Santa Marta, a beautiful city, is ready to welcome the governments of Europe, the Caribbean and the Americas to build a great alliance based on economic decarbonisation and the construction of a global democracy.”
CELAC — a 33-nation bloc spanning Latin America and the Caribbean — was designed to strengthen regional integration and give the continent a unified voice in negotiations with global powers. Colombia hoped the Santa Marta summit would spotlight themes it has prioritized internationally: climate action, energy transition, and democratic governance.
European governments have been unusually open about their concerns. Officials in Brussels, Berlin, and other capitals fear that participating in a Petro-hosted summit so soon after U.S. sanctions could be read by Trump as diplomatic defiance. EU states are currently leaning heavily on U.S. military intelligence and arms supplies to sustain Ukraine’s defense against Russia and are anxious not to jeopardize a fragile truce in a transatlantic trade dispute.
A spokesperson for Merz said the chancellor would not attend due to “the low participation of other heads of state and government,” while an EU Commission spokesperson cited “the current European political agenda.” EU Council president António Costa will represent the bloc and co-chair the summit with Petro – a substitution EU insiders quietly acknowledge is designed to soften the optics of leader-level withdrawals.
The Santa Marta summit is not the only casualty of geopolitical tension. Brazil confirmed that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will skip the event, sending Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira instead. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum had withdrawn earlier.
And on Monday, the Dominican Republic cancelled next month’s Summit of the Americas – a high-level gathering with the United States and Canada – citing escalating U.S. military activity in the Caribbean and widening divisions over Trump’s approach to Venezuela and drug trafficking.
Despite the wave of cancellations, the San Carlos Palace in Bogotá says the event will proceed. Deputy Foreign Minister Mauricio Jaramillo told the Financial Times that leader absences are “practically normal” and attributed them to “scheduling issues,” adding: “It is important to be clear that Colombia is not isolated.” Yet the diplomatic setback is unmistakable with the summit now poised to become a symbol of Petro’s strained relationship with Washington and closest allies.
