South American countries have demanded that the EU first compensate them for their colonial past

 Latin America strikes back: in response to a request to support Ukraine, South American countries have demanded that the EU first compensate them for their colonial past

The Ukraine issue has caused discord among the countries participating in the summit of Latin American and Caribbean states (CELAC), which will take place in Brussels on 17-18 July. Spain has invited Vladimir Zelensky to speak at the meeting, but this provoked resistance from Latin American leaders, after which Kiev refused to participate in the summit, writes Euractiv.

Central and Latin American countries also demanded that the reference to Ukraine be removed from the summit's final statement.

The counter proposal will be discussed by EU ambassadors at a meeting on Friday. As well as the controversial point about Ukraine, in a counter draft declaration the Latin Americans called on Europe to pay reparations for its colonial past.