Divisions over the Ukraine war cause a rift at the EU-LatAm summit that was supposed to be a love-in

By RAF CASERT
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — High anxiety has set in on the closing day of a summit between European Union and Latin American leaders. What was supposed to be a love-in turned into a diplomatic fracas over the war in Ukraine. Ambassadors worked through much of the night and into Tuesday morning to find even the blandest text to condemn Russia for its invasion of Russia, with talks hung up over the reservations of some Central and South American nations like Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. The 27-nation EU wanted the summit to center on new economic initiatives and closer cooperation to stave off surging Chinese influence but several Latin American and Caribbean leaders also brought century-old recriminations over colonialism and slavery to the table.