Colombia's Petro says to part ways with NATO, cites bombing complicity
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Gustavo Petro urges Colombia’s exit from NATO, condemns “Israel’s” war on Gaza, and reaffirms support for Palestine at the Hague Group summit.
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Colombia's President Gustavo Petro delivers a speech during a two-day conference on the Israeli war on Gaza, in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (AP)
Colombia should break from NATO and European nations involved in military aggression, the Colombian President Gustavo Petro stated on Thursday.
"We must leave NATO, there is no other way. And relations with Europe can no longer be built with those European governments that betray their own people and participate in bombings," the Colombian president said at the closing of the Hague Group summit in Bogota.
Petro emphasized that Colombia must avoid alliances involving militaries that "drop bombs on children," adding, "If they impose duties on us, no matter what, other nations will help us and buy our products."
Colombia joined NATO as a global partner in 2017, becoming the bloc's first Latin American partner, with the agreement signed in Brussels in May 2018.
Petro condemned "Israel's" war on the Gaza Strip while also calling out the Colombian Defense Ministry's non-adherence to his directive, as it persists in acquiring Israeli weaponry.
On July 8, The Guardian featured an opinion article written by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, where he criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for leading what he described as a "campaign of devastation" in Gaza. In the piece, Petro urged the global community to go beyond mere symbolic condemnation by taking decisive steps to uphold international law.
The president referenced a historic September 2024 UN General Assembly resolution demanding "Israel" cease its illegal occupation within one year, emphasizing Colombia's position among the 124 supporting nations that committed to enforcing binding measures such as sanctions, judicial proceedings, and trade restrictions.
In May, Petro's administration severed diplomatic relations with "Israel", denouncing actions he described as "genocide", while also naming Colombia's inaugural ambassador to Palestine and committing to provide medical care in Colombian hospitals for wounded Gaza children.
