Frantic diplomacy set up call between Trump and Colombia’s Petro
“He said yesterday that it was ‘an honor’ to speak with the Colombian president to resolve a common problem,” said Sánchez, a decorated career Air Force officer who has played a key role in cooperating with the United States and combating drug trafficking.
These common problems are drug trafficking – Colombia is one of the world’s leading producers of coca, which is used to make cocaine, and the United States is the drug’s largest consumer – and gangs that facilitate the cross-border movement of people, narcotics and other illicit goods.
Colombia is the main ally of the United States in the fight against drugs in the hemisphere, Sánchez said.
“We share a lot of history, we share democratic values and we also have strong cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the field of defense,” he said.
Colombian leaders are particularly attentive to the movements of leaders of the Venezuelan crime syndicate Tren de Aragua and the Colombian ELN, designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and which has bases in Venezuela, among others, Sánchez said. Some 30,000 troops have been deployed to help guard the 1,400-mile border with Venezuela.
“We are ready to defeat or confront these groups,” he added.
While the United States has historically enjoyed strong relations with Colombia, sending hundreds of millions of dollars in military and other aid each year, these cooled after Petro took office in 2022. Ties have truly deteriorated under Trump.
In October, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Petro and his family members over alleged ties to drug trafficking — charges he denies.
In November, Petro called Trump a “barbarian” who “wants to scare us” and said the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean was “without a doubt an aggression against Latin America.”
The recent rhetorical escalation reached a boiling point on Wednesday, when Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio warned the United States to back off.
“If such an aggression were to occur, the army must defend the national territory and the sovereignty of the country,” she said at a press conference in Bogota.
Still, Sánchez said he believes in-person communication is essential, and he sent a letter two weeks ago to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth inviting him to visit Colombia to see first-hand the work the country is doing to combat the drug supply. (Hegseth did not respond publicly to the invitation.)
“He’s a soldier and I’m a soldier,” he said. “The enemies are the criminals, not the nations. »
