BOGOT: A summit of European and Latin American nations on Sunday risks being overshadowed by no-shows and disputes, as host Colombia accused the United States of pressuring countries to skip the event.

Amid a major political spat between Bogota and Washington, only about 12 of the 60 invited leaders are expected to attend a two-day EU-Latin American and Caribbean states summit in Santa Marta from Sunday.

Host President Gustavo Petro has suggested the poor turnout is the fault of Donald Trump’s administration.

“Foreign powers opposed to peace in the Americas want this summit to fail,” he said in a thinly veiled social media post days before the meeting.

Petro has frequently clashed with Trump over US strikes on alleged drug boats — calling them “extrajudicial executions” — and forced deportations of Latino migrants from the United States.

The US president has not taken the criticism well.

He has banned Petro from visiting the United States, imposed sanctions on the Colombian president and his family, and cut US aid to Colombia worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Ley­en, cancelled her participation at the last minute due to poor turnout, a European official said.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2025