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A growing number of Latin American leaders are threatening to shun a key Americas summit hosted by the United States next month after Washington hinted that the meeting would exclude Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, the Washington Post reported.

Held every three years in a different country, the Summit of the Americas is considered the premier event for hemispheric bonding. It remains a crucial arena for Washington to promote democracy and address common economic challenges.

This year, it is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles from June 6 to 10.

But Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his Bolivian counterpart Luis Arce announced this week that they will not attend the event if the three nations are not invited.

Caribbean leaders are also threatening to bow out, while other leaders are considering it. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said that his participation is “currently under evaluation.”

Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua are all subject to US sanctions.

The refusal to attend followed an interview with a US official on Colombian television last week who said the three countries were not invited. White House officials later countered that “no decisions” were made on the invites.

Observers noted that for some countries, the summit is a reminder of US hubris when it comes to the hemisphere, adding that the lack of attendance could become a potential embarrassment for the Biden administration.