The Community of Latin America and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU) Summit is taking place in Brussels this week. The political partnership between autocratic Latin American states and the Putin regime undermines the credibility of the EU-CELAC summit and emboldens a global authoritarian agenda.
The exclusion of President Zelenskyy is thanks to persistent pressure from the Cuban, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan regimes. This cheapens Europe’s stated commitment to defend Ukraine from Russian aggression, and by caving to the demands of Russia-aligned dictatorships in Latin America, the integrity of the EU is called into question.
To allow for dictators such as Maduro, Díaz-Canel, and Ortega to be represented in Brussels while excluding the Ukrainian delegation is an outrage to the democratic community, especially the victims of Russia’s war of aggression.
The WLC calls on the EU to uphold its principles and defend not only the Ukrainian Republic, but also the victims of Latin American dictators. Under no circumstance can the illegitimate and criminal governments of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua be normalized or accommodated in the European capital.
