President Donald Trump will not attend the 8th Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru as he had previously planned, according to a statement from the White House.
“President Trump will not attend the 8th Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru or travel to Bogota, Colombia as originally scheduled,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in the statement. “At the Presidents request, the Vice President will travel in his stead. The President will remain in the United States to oversee the American response to Syria and to monitor developments around the world.”
The Syrian government is blamed for a chemical weapons attack on its own people that the president called an “attrocity.”
Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2018
Several nations, including the United States attended an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council during which U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said that Russia was “complicit” in the attack.
“We must not overlook Russia and Iran’s roles in enabling the Assad regime’s murderous destruction,” Haley said. “Russia could stop this senseless slaughter if it wanted, but it stands with the Assad regime and supports without any hesitation.”
