Sánchez and Lula: The Two Key Leaders Trying to Save a Faltering Summit

Amidst a flurry of high-profile cancellations and escalating regional tensions, the EU-CELAC summit in Colombia is now resting on the shoulders of two key leaders: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Organizers are heavily highlighting the presence of these two figures to counter the narrative that the summit is faltering after top EU officials, including Ursula von der Leyen and Friedrich Merz, opted not to attend.
Sánchez’s presence provides a crucial, high-level link to the European Union, preventing the meeting from being a total diplomatic washout for the European bloc. His attendance is vital for shepherding any part of the official agenda, which includes the “Declaration of Santa Marta” on renewable energy, financing, and technological cooperation.
However, it is Lula’s surprise attendance that has injected the most political energy into the event. Lula, who is also preparing to host the COP30 climate talks, is making a powerful statement by prioritizing this regional meeting. His delegation has made it clear his focus is on security, framing the visit as an act of “regional solidarity with Venezuela” against threats of US military action.
This focus from Brazil’s leader is finding powerful resonance with the summit’s host, Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Petro is waging his own battle against a separate US military operation that has killed over 60 people, an action he has labeled “extrajudicial executions.” The combined political weight of Lula and Petro ensures that regional security and sovereignty will dominate all discussions.
With the US not in attendance, the summit provides a unique platform for these leaders. Lula, in particular, has been engaging in direct diplomacy, revealing he recently urged US President Donald Trump to seek peace in Venezuela. The leadership of Sánchez and Lula is now all that stands between the summit being a total failure and it becoming a pivotal moment for Latin American unity.