President Ivan Duque assured in the last few hours that there is no relationship between Colombia and Russia. In an interview with the Cartagena newspaper El Universal, he pointed out that the country does not plan to have a diplomatic relationship with Russia in the midst of the situation it has with Ukraine.
In addition to noting that his government is not interested in interacting with that of his counterpart Vladimir Putin, he made it clear that in the near future it does not see any chance of engaging in dialogue with that country either, because according to him, it has committed a “genocide” against the people of Ukraine.
The president of the Colombians referred to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, noting the atrocities to which Ukrainians have been subjected by the armed forces of their neighboring country. “What we are seeing here is genocide, a crime against humanity, a total reproach. So what relationship? None. How can the world have a relationship while this is happening? ”, he told the regional newspaper.
According to figures released on Friday, April 7 by the United Nations (UN), in the midst of the fighting that has been fought between the countries of the European continent, at least 1,626 civilians have been killed and 2,267 more have been injured. It should be noted that the international organization mentions a figure that it has been able to verify, but the Ukrainian authorities have pointed out that the number of civilians killed is higher.
The Russian attacks that leave dozens dead every day, according to the Colombian president, have been evident to the international community:
The most recent Russian attack, according to international media, occurred on Friday, April 7, at a train station in the city of Kramatorsk, in Ukraine, where local authorities reported a record of at least 50 dead, including four children, and more than 100 injured. “More than 30 people were killed and more than 100 were injured after a rocket fire at the station (...) This is a deliberate attack,” Oleksander Kamyshin, head of the Ukrainian railway company Ukrzaliznytsia, said in Telegram. Moments later, the rescue services reported that there were at least 50 deaths.
The Colombian president insisted, in the middle of the interview with Nicolás Pareja Bermudez, director of the Cartagena media outlet, that Colombia is a country that respects sovereignty, human rights and, therefore, has expressed support for Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky. “We defend the integrity of Ukraine's territory as Colombia did in 2014 when it supported the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly and we are also a country that defends not only that sovereignty and integrity, but that defends human rights and the values that are an essential part of the global order,” assured.
Finally, Ivan Duque referred to the telephone communications he has had with the president of Ukraine since February 24, when Russia began its 'military operation' in that country. “We will continue to support your country, Mr. President. We will continue to support its sovereignty, the integrity of the territory and also support its people. You have been a great leader and your citizens are brave,” Duke told Zelensky.
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