Moscow, May 18 (Prensa Latina) Russia considers that the necessary result of the special operation is long-term peace, guarantee of its security and protection of the interests of Russian speakers in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said today.

The head of state, who spoke to VGTRK journalist Pavel Zarubin, assured that Moscow has sufficient strength to complete the special military operation with the desired result. “That result is the elimination of the causes that provoked this crisis, the creation of conditions for long-term sustainable peace and ensuring the security of the Russian state,” he said.

Putin also stressed that it is necessary to ensure the interests of the Russian people in those territories. “Where people live who consider Russian their mother tongue and consider Russia their homeland,” he explained. Putin. Russia has been conducting a special military operation in Ukraine since February 24, 2022, Putin said, to protect the population from “genocide by the Kiev government” and to tackle the national security risks posed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's advance eastward.

The United States launches a financial offensive to block international funding for Chinese projects in Latin America, responding to growing cooperation between countries like Colombia and China under the Belt and Road Initiative.

The U.S. administration, led by Donald Trump, has issued a direct threat to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and other international financial institutions, urging them not to grant subsidies to projects developed by Chinese companies in Latin America. This move comes immediately after Colombia and China signed a strategic plan to strengthen the Belt and Road Initiative, a program aimed at boosting integration and economic development in the region.

Washington’s warning is not limited to Colombia but extends across Latin America and the Caribbean, where the Belt and Road Initiative has projects underway. The U.S. Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs declared that American taxpayers’ funds must not be used to subsidize Chinese companies, arguing that these projects “endanger regional security.”

This stance reflects an attempt to curb China’s growing economic and strategic influence in the hemisphere, at a time when Latin American countries seek to diversify their alliances and sources of investment.

Latin America’s Response and Challenge to U.S. Hegemony

Progressive governments such as Gustavo Petro’s in Colombia and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s in Brazil have committed to strengthening ties with China, securing multi-billion-dollar agreements for infrastructure and trade that challenge the historic economic and political domination of the United States in the region.

For example, Colombia secured $5.2 billion for its metro system, and Brazil finalized $94 billion in key sector agreements. However, these advances face threats of sanctions, audits, and U.S. commercial pressures aimed at preserving its hegemony and preventing the formation of an autonomous, multipolar Latin American bloc.

The U.S. offensive fits within a containment strategy that revives the Monroe Doctrine in a modern key, using financial and commercial tools to limit the sovereign development of Latin American countries. Latin America’s dependence on U.S. markets and technologies, alongside fears of “debt traps” and covert militarization of Chinese infrastructure, are elements Washington uses to justify its intervention.

However, this policy disregards the legitimate aspirations of Latin American peoples for independent and solidarity-based development rooted in South-South cooperation and regional integration.

This context highlights the geopolitical struggle Latin America faces between maintaining sovereignty and development autonomy in the face of U.S. pressure aimed at blocking strategic Chinese projects that could transform the continent’s economic and political landscape.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro vows to resubmit his labor reform referendum to the Senate after denouncing fraud in the recent vote, calling on popular mobilization to defend workers’ rights and democratic participation.

President Gustavo Petro has announced his intention to resubmit the labor reform referendum to the Colombian Senate following what he and his allies describe as a fraudulent vote that blocked the popular consultation. The referendum, aimed at improving workers’ rights through 12 key questions, was narrowly rejected by the Senate with 49 votes against and 47 in favor.

Petro condemned the actions of conservative Senator Efraín Cepeda, accusing him of prematurely closing the vote to prevent the referendum’s approval and calling for the people to take a decisive role in the democratic process.

The rejection of the referendum was marked by intense controversy, with Interior Minister Armando Benedetti accusing Senate President Cepeda of manipulating the voting process. Benedetti claimed that Cepeda closed the voting registry while government-aligned senators were still trying to register their votes, effectively rigging the outcome against the labor reform initiative.

This maneuver followed an earlier attempt by conservative factions to revive a labor reform bill previously sunk in the Senate’s Seventh Committee, which Petro’s government had sought to bypass through the referendum.

In response to what he termed “fraud,” President Petro has called on unions, peasant organizations, indigenous groups, and youth committees to organize community councils and determine the next steps in defending workers’ rights and democratic participation. He emphasized that public forces should avoid repression, limiting their role to protecting institutional buildings and maintaining peace.

Efraín Cepeda has committed a possible crime, and the Supreme Court must investigate. The evidence suggests fraud, and the court will decide. I will once again exercise my constitutional and legal right to submit the referendum to the Senate, ensuring a fair vote. This time the people, the principal, will decide how to act before the Senate of the Republic, the mandated.

Petro’s call signals a strategic shift towards grassroots mobilization as a counterweight to legislative obstruction, reinforcing his government’s commitment to social justice and labor empowerment.

This latest setback highlights the ongoing struggle between Colombia’s progressive government and entrenched conservative interests resistant to Petro’s transformative agenda. The labor reform referendum was designed to restore and enhance protections for workers, addressing decades of neoliberal policies that have eroded labor rights.

Despite the Senate’s rejection, Petro’s administration remains determined to pursue reforms through popular participation and legislative channels, framing the fight as part of a broader movement for social and economic justice in Colombia.

President Petro’s resolve to resubmit the referendum and mobilize popular support underscores the critical moment facing Colombia’s leftist government as it confronts institutional barriers and conservative opposition intent on maintaining the status quo. The coming weeks will be decisive in shaping the future of labor rights and democratic engagement in the country.

Groups of peasants, coca growers, miners, and MAS legislators are mobilizing from Parotani toward La Paz to register Evo Morales’ presidential candidacy despite the recent ban issued by the Constitutional Court.

This Wednesday in Parotani-approximately 40 kilometers from Cochabamba-delegations of peasants, coca producers, and miners who support former president Evo Morales gathered. From there, they began a land journey toward La Paz with the intention of formally submitting Morales’ presidential candidacy to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), despite the recent disqualification issued by the Plurinational Constitutional Court (TCP).

The march includes senators, deputies, councilors, and union leaders affiliated with the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS). The group is heading toward the headquarters of the Executive, Legislative, and Electoral branches in the country’s capital.

Police Presence and Leaders’ Statements

Although Morales was not present at the start of the mobilization, participants expressed concern over the significant presence of riot police in the area. However, security forces did not intervene to stop the march. Peasant leader Juanita Ancieta stated that the goal is to enter La Paz this Friday “with a large march,” led by Morales, whom she described as “the only candidate who represents the majority.”

"The current Bolivian Political Constitution does not prohibit discontinuous reelection. Article 168 of our Constitution establishes: “The term of office of the President and Vice President of the State is five years, and they may be reelected ONLY ONCE CONTINUOUSLY.” The Plurinational Constitutional Court (TCP), with a majority of de facto judges (illegally self-prolonged), through Sentence 007/2025, establishes that no Bolivian citizen can be re-elected continuously or discontinuously, violating Art. 168 of the CPE, which only prohibits CONTINUOUS re-election." - Evo Morales on Twitter

Senator Leonardo Loza affirmed that Morales will join the caravan discreetly to avoid possible arrest. “Evo is with this caravan, protected by the people. We will not reveal his location or whether he takes alternate routes, but he is present,” he said.

The TCP issued a ruling that bars Morales from running for president, arguing that presidential reelection-whether continuous or interrupted-is unconstitutional. In response, Morales stated on his X account that the Political Constitution of the State does not prohibit discontinuous reelection, citing Article 168, which establishes a five-year presidential term with the possibility of one continuous reelection.