Colombia's President Rebukes Insincerity Of Europe 'Shielded In NATO' During Invasions

MADRID (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th May, 2023) The West should start with itself when assessing the situation around Ukraine, given that Europe "shielded in NATO" has itself invaded third countries, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Wednesday.

"The rhetoric of attacking Russia because it invades someone should have started with themselves. We once proposed that the crime of invasion be considered a crime against humanity. The U.S. objected ... I'm not sure about that statement that Europe hasn't invaded (third countries). Europe has shielded itself in NATO, but through NATO it has invaded. Why is the invasion of Libya good and the Russian invasion of Ukraine bad?" Petro said in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais.

The president noted that he was referring not only to invasions of the countries in the middle East but also "to those that Latin America has suffered." He recalled the United Kingdom invading the Falkland Islands, also known as the Malvinas, and the United States sending troops to Panama, Grenada, and the Dominican Republic.

"We are not interested in this war continuing, but the rhetoric against the invasion of some countries against others does not sound frank to us, when the same countries that are rejecting these invasions have carried out invasions against other countries," Petro added.

The president said that Moscow and Kiev "would have a better chance to sit down at a table and end the war" if the West "stopped seeing Ukraine as NATO territory."

Western countries ramped up their military support for Ukraine after Russia launched a special military operation there on February 24, 2022, by providing various types of weapons to Kiev. The Kremlin has repeatedly warned against further escalation leading to NATO's direct involvement in the conflict.