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Trump arranging meeting with Colombian president

2026-01-08 HKT 08:32
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  • Donald Trump had said earlier in the week that a military operation against Colombia "sounds good" after accusing its leader of selling cocaine to the US. File photo: Reuters
    Donald Trump had said earlier in the week that a military operation against Colombia "sounds good" after accusing its leader of selling cocaine to the US. File photo: Reuters
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he was arranging to meet with his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro "in the near future," days after threatening military action against the South American nation.

Trump posted on Truth Social that he and the leftist Petro spoke by phone and addressed their recent disagreements, including over drug trafficking.

“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,” Trump posted on his social media site.

“I appreciated his call and tone, and look forward to meeting him in the near future.”

He said that meeting would take place at the White House.

The development came days after Trump said in the wake of the US operation to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend that “Colombia is very sick too” and accused Petro of ”making cocaine and selling it to the United States."

“We have spoken by phone for the first time since he became president,” Petro told supporters gathered at a rally in ‍Bogota meant to celebrate Colombia's sovereignty, adding he had requested ‌a restart of dialogue between the two countries.

The US in September had revoked Petro's visa after he joined a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York following ‌a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly and called on US ‍soldiers to "disobey the orders of Trump."

Petro, who has been a vocal opponent of Israel's war in Gaza, had accused Trump of being “complicit in genocide” in Gaza and called for “criminal proceedings” over US missile attacks on suspected drug-running boats in Caribbean waters. (Agencies)
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Last updated: 2026-01-08 HKT 11:49

Trump arranging meeting with Colombian president