Colombian President Gustavo Petro will meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., following a recent phone call that eased escalating tensions over drug trafficking allegations and other disagreements between the two leaders.
Gustavo, on 8th January 2025, shared a photo of him having a direct phone call with Donald Trump.
Earlier, Trump had shared that the two leaders had a phone call, and that plans are underway to meet Gustavo in Washington.
“It was a Great Honor to speak with the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who called to explain the situation of drugs and other disagreements that we have had. I appreciated his call and tone and look forward to meeting him in the near future. Arrangements are being made between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Foreign Minister of Colombia. The meeting will take place in the White House in Washington, D.C,” said Trump
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Focus on Drugs and Bilateral Cooperation
The centerpiece of the upcoming meeting will be efforts to address drug trafficking, a longstanding concern for both nations.
Colombia remains the world’s largest source of cocaine, and the United States has criticized its production and export into American markets.
Under Petro’s leadership, efforts to substitute coca cultivation with alternative crops have faced challenges since Petro has himself advocated for Cocaine legalization, leading to increased U.S. pressure on Bogotá.
According to UN Office on Drugs and Crime data, coca cultivation expanded by10% to 253,000 hectares, and whilst potential cocaine production increased by 53% to 2,664 metric tonnes.
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Trump And Gustavo Heated Exchange
On 4th January 2026, Trump accused Gustavo of selling cocaine to the United States, warning him. This was after the US captured Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro and his wife on drug charges.
“Colombia is run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it into the United States. He won’t be doing it much longer,” said Trump
Gustavo responded to Trump, stating that he accepts the intelligence
Don’t threaten me. I’ll wait for you here if you want. I don’t accept invasions, I don’t accept missiles, I don’t accept murders. I accept intelligence,” said Gustavo, addressing the press.
Bogotá has stated its willingness to continue cooperating with Washington on counter-narcotics operations. Colombian officials recently emphasized their commitment to working with U.S. intelligence and security agencies to target criminal networks and disrupt cocaine labs and trafficking routes.
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