Colombian President Gustavo Petro confirmed on Tuesday that Washington had discussed with Bogota the transfer of Russian-made weapons to Kyiv. According to the head of state, the republic does not consider this proposal of the United States.
“In one of the conversations, the general [Лаура] Richardson and other US representatives told me that due to the impossibility [для Колумбии] support [российское вооружение] in an active state, they will do it and send it to Ukraine”, he said at a press conference.
According to Petro, the Russian equipment currently in Colombia’s possession is in poor condition, as there is no way to maintain it.
“We are not taking sides. We are on the side of the world. Therefore, not a single piece of Russian equipment, in whatever condition it is on our territory, will be used in this conflict, ” he added.
Petro noted that he raised the topic of Ukraine at the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which is taking place in Buenos Aires.
“Latin America, instead of placing bets on which bloc will remain – NATO or Russia, should demand peace,” – he said.
At the same time, he stressed that he was “concerned about military aggression.”
Earlier, the head of the US Southern Command, General Laura Richardson, said that Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and six other countries of Latin America have Russian weapons and the United States is working to “replace these Russian weapons with American ones if these countries want to transfer them to Ukraine.” Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov during the briefing, he said that the US initiative has legal limitations, but nevertheless the Kremlin will closely monitor this issue.
