Latin American leaders meeting at a development forum in Panama City called for greater regional unity in response to rising political divisions and recent U.S. actions in Venezuela.
At the event hosted by the CAF‑Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva avoided directly naming the United States but criticised moves that he said have deepened political rifts across the region and stymied cooperation within the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who has had tense exchanges with U.S. President Donald Trump and is set to meet him in Washington next week, spoke more bluntly. He condemned bombing near Caracas and proposed that former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro be held accountable either in Venezuela or by a regional judicial body he described as a “Three Americas Tribunal.”
Other attendees included leaders from Ecuador, Bolivia, Guatemala, and Chile’s president‑elect José Antonio Kast, underscoring broad regional participation in the discussions.
