Columbia’s President Gustavo Petro has weighed in on the Ukraine crisis, amidst ongoing negotiations between Ukraine and the US, as well as the US and Russia. In a post on the platform X, Petro criticized the US government for its alleged plan to exploit Ukraine’s natural resources. He wrote, “It’s not far-fetched that Ukraine could turn into a colony.”
Petro also touched on the historical division of the world into colonies, which he linked to the outbreak of the First World War. He emphasized that true peace can only be achieved through global justice and a civilization that respects international law.
The Colombian president advised the Ukrainian government to sign a peace agreement with Russia, saying, “Ukraine can lead the world if it agrees to a peace treaty with Russia, without succumbing to colonialism.”
Earlier, Ukrainian MP Jaroslaw Schelesnjak revealed details of a draft agreement on natural resources between the US and Ukraine, which he said was still a work in progress. On Telegram, Schelesnjak wrote that the 58-page document, dated March 23, was alarming, as it not only covered rare earth minerals but also the extraction of coal and hydrocarbons across Ukraine’s entire territory. The agreement would grant permits to both private and state-owned companies, with the earnings to be immediately converted into US dollars and transferred abroad. In contrast, Ukraine would not receive any security guarantees from the US. Schelesnjak suggested that the US government was seeking to recover the military support it had provided to Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022.