DHAKA: Colombian President Gustavo Petro has sharply rejected threats and accusations made by US President Donald Trump, urging him to “stop slandering” Colombia’s elected leadership amid escalating regional tensions.
The dispute comes in the wake of a dramatic US military operation in Venezuela, where American forces reportedly carried out airstrikes on military targets in Caracas early Saturday and removed President Nicolás Maduro from power in a surprise raid aimed at asserting Washington’s influence over the oil-rich nation.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump extended his aggressive rhetoric beyond Venezuela, accusing Petro of links to drug trafficking and suggesting Colombia could face similar military action.
“Colombia is very sick too,” Trump said, claiming the country is “run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.” He further alleged, without evidence, that Petro operates “cocaine mills and factories” and warned that such activities “won’t last very long.”
When asked whether Colombia could be the next target of US military intervention, Trump responded: “It sounds good to me,” adding that such action would be justified because, he claimed, “they kill a lot of people.”
President Petro swiftly dismissed the allegations, stating on social media platform X that his “name does not appear in court records.”
“Stop slandering me, Mr. Trump,” Petro wrote. “That’s not how you threaten a Latin American president who emerged from armed struggle and later from Colombia’s fight for peace.”
Petro has been a vocal critic of Washington’s recent military actions in the region, accusing the Trump administration of abducting Maduro “without any legal basis.” In a later post, he added pointedly: “Friends do not bomb.”
Colombia’s Foreign Ministry also condemned Trump’s remarks, calling them “unacceptable interference” in the country’s internal affairs and demanding respect for Colombia’s sovereignty.
Despite being long-standing military and economic allies, relations between Colombia and the United States have become increasingly strained. Since the start of Trump’s second term, the two leaders have clashed repeatedly over issues including tariffs, migration policy, and regional security, raising concerns about the future of bilateral cooperation in Latin America.
