The diplomatic rift between the United States and Ukraine has drawn sharp criticism from Latin American leaders, with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, offering pointed remarks on the tense Oval Office meeting where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky clashed with US President Donald Trump.

"Since the creation of diplomacy, we have not seen a scene as grotesque, as disrespectful as the one that occurred in the Oval Office of the White House," Lula stated while in Montevideo to attend the inauguration of Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi.

The Brazilian leader went further, suggesting a deep personal slight. "You can't talk about democracy if there is no respect for other human beings. I think that Zelensky was humiliated. I think that in Trump's mind, Zelensky deserved that," Lula told assembled journalists.

Echoing a different but equally critical perspective, Colombian President Petro framed the situation as a fundamental betrayal of Ukraine's geopolitical strategy. "Zelensky proposed a war with Western weapons, and now he is betrayed and left without weapons before Russia, which uses its own," he wrote on X.

"This is a betrayal of Zelensky over gas. The wars of the 21st century are the wars of the fossil economy.”

The Colombian president, who recently slammed the proposed US-Ukraine minerals deal as “stupidity” and claimed that Russians and Ukrainians are "slavic brothers," also offered what he sees as a potential resolution. "At this point, Zelenskyy should change his policy," Petro suggested, advocating for direct dialogue with Moscow.

He called for Zelensky to "talk to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin without intermediaries and make peace and a great Slavic political and economic agreement open to the world."

Lula, in line with his long-standing calls for a diplomatic resolution, pointed out that "only peace can bring the world back to normality and can make us live in prosperity again."

Last month, Lula ruled out sending troops to Ukraine but said Brazil would support a peacekeeping mission following a ceasefire.

He added that resolving the war would require direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv, while stressing the EU's crucial role. "The Ukraine problem will be resolved at the negotiating table. Trump's role in wanting to negotiate without listening to the European Union is bad, very bad," Lula said.

The statements come against a backdrop of growing uncertainty in the international arena. Trump's reported moves towards negotiating directly with Russia have caught Kyiv and EU governments off guard, with European leaders hastily convening in London over the weekend to reaffirm their unwavering support for Ukraine.