Colombian President Gustavo Petro has said the United States will continue to seek wars as long as its economy remains dependent on oil and coal.
He also said that global conflicts could have been avoided if the US had not withdrawn from the Paris climate agreement.
In an interview with the BBC, Petro said that 70 percent of the US energy matrix is still based on oil and coal, and argued that this dependence drives conflict. “As long as the US economy is based on oil and coal, 70 percent of its energy matrix, it will tend to seek wars for both resources,” he said.
Petro added that the decision to exit the Paris Agreement had wider consequences. He said that if the US had remained part of the climate pact, “there would be no wars, there would be a much more democratic and peaceful relationship with the world. And South America.”
The Paris Agreement is based on a 1992 treaty signed by 198 countries that commits developed nations to financially support climate action in developing countries. Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement soon after returning to the White House.
Petro’s remarks come after a period of sharp exchanges with Trump, including threats by the US president of possible military action against Colombia and accusations linking Petro to the drug trade. Those tensions resurfaced after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Following an hour-long phone call between the two leaders, Colombia now expects relations with Washington to improve and cooperation on drug trafficking to strengthen. Trump said on Friday that Petro is scheduled to visit the White House in the first week of February.
Separately, the United States and Venezuela said they are exploring the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations, with a delegation from the Trump administration arriving in the South American country on Friday.