CELAC-EU Summit Makes Vague Gesture Against Use of Force, No Rejection of US Attacks

ByJairo Gómez

This article by Jairo Gómez originally appeared in the November 10, 2025 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

Santa Marta, Colombia. The summit between the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU) condemned this Sunday the “use of force” in violation of international law, amid tensions with the United States over airstrikes on vessels in the Caribbean and the Pacific, but without explicitly mentioning this offensive by the Donald Trump administration.

After 12 hours of deliberations, the closest mention of the US siege against small vessels and Venezuela can be summarized in point eight: “We reiterate our opposition to the use of force and any action that is not in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations.”

The joint declaration of CELAC and the EU contains 52 points, most of them dedicated to respect for human rights, self-determination, and respect for international law as a standard of respect and unity among nations. Countries such as Argentina and Paraguay “disassociated” themselves from several points of the declaration.

Venezuela did not fully endorse the joint declaration.

Although the issue of the US attacks was discussed, there was no consensus to include it in the final declaration, as the content of CELAC resolutions is defined by unanimous agreement.

Both the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, and his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, had previously expressed the need for this summit to produce a statement rejecting the US government.

Sources consulted confirmed that the issue did not go unnoticed at the summit, as Lula had mentioned it days before: “Here (at CELAC) we hope that a space can be created to discuss the attacks carried out by the United States, affecting fishermen in the Caribbean and the Pacific.”

President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro

Emphasizing Dialogue Among Equals

Petro highlighted that the declaration underscores “the unity of peoples, respect for human rights, the strengthening of self-determination, and dialogue among equals, as a bulwark against the wave of big capitalism that threatens democracy.”

The joint declaration was read by the host, Gustavo Petro, pro tempore president of CELAC; Antonio Costa, president of the European Council; and Kaja Kallas, vice-president of the European Commission, who had previously stated that “force can only be used for two reasons: either in self-defense or under a UN Security Council resolution.”

“Spain is and will continue to stand with Latin America and the Caribbean,” commented Pedro Sánchez, the country’s prime minister, to the press from a distance, without approaching the microphone.

Under the shadow of uncertainty due to the constant attacks by the Trump administration, this fourth CELAC-EU summit concluded. Despite the absence of a statement against the White House, the host president, Gustavo Petro, considered it a success, notwithstanding the efforts of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to sabotage it, as denounced by the Colombian president.