Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

Trump, Petro to Meet Amid Tensions


(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump announced Friday that he will host Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the White House during the first week of February.

"I am sure it will work out very well for Colombia, and the U.S.A., but, cocaine and other drugs must be stopped from coming into the United States," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

The optimistic remarks followed months of Trump criticizing Petro and his administration, accusing the Colombian leader of operating "cocaine factories," which he has occasionally referred to as "mills."

Trump revealed after a phone conversation with Petro on Wednesday that the two leaders would convene at the White House, though he had not previously specified the timing.

Petro, in comments published Friday, claimed that Trump had been preparing a military intervention in Colombia.

“Trump told me in a phone call that he was thinking of doing bad things in Colombia. The message was that they were already preparing, planning a military operation,” Petro said in an interview with a Spanish newspaper.

The leftist Colombian president suggested that the threat had been “frozen” following Wednesday’s call, while admitting, “I could be mistaken.”

“Any president, anywhere in the world, can be removed if he or she does not align with certain interests,” Petro added, expressing concern that he might face a similar outcome to Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who was captured by US forces in Caracas last weekend.

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