Washington — Washington (AFP) – President Donald Trump He is scheduled to receive the Colombian President Gustavo Pietro To the White House on Tuesday For conversations Only weeks later Threat of military action Against the South American country and accusing the leader of pumping cocaine into the United States.
US administration officials say the meeting will focus on regional security cooperation and anti-drug efforts. Trump suggested on Monday that Petro — who has continued to criticize Trump and U.S process to capture Venezuela Nicolas Maduro – He appears more willing to work with his administration to stop the flow of illicit drugs from Colombia.
“Somehow after the Venezuelan raid, he became very nice,” Trump told reporters. “He changed his attitude a lot.”
However, bad blood between the leaders takes over Sit-inEven as Trump sought to downplay any friction on the eve of the visit.
The conservative Trump and the leftist Pietro are ideologically far apart, but both leaders share a penchant for bombast and unpredictability. This sets the stage for a White House visit with an air of possibility that anything could happen.
In recent days, Petro has continued his criticism of the US president, calling Trump an “accomplice in genocide” in the Gaza Strip, while maintaining that Maduro’s arrest was a kidnapping.
Before leaving for Washington, Petro called on Colombians to take to the streets of Bogota during the White House meeting.
Historically, Colombia has been an ally of the United States. Over the past 30 years, the United States has worked closely with Colombia, the largest country in the world Cocaine productto arrest Drug dealersrepel Rebel groups Promoting economic development in rural areas.
But relations between the two leaders have been strained by Trump’s mobilization of US forces in the region to launch unprecedented deadly military strikes targeting suspected drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific. At least 126 People were killed in 36 known raids.
In October, the Trump administration announced this Imposing sanctions on PetroHis family and a member of his government due to accusations of involvement in the global drug trade.
The Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Petro; his wife Veronica del Socorro Alcocer Garcia; his son Nicolas Fernando Pietro Burgos; And Colombian Interior Minister Armando Alberto Benedetti.
The sanctions, which had to be waived to allow Petro to travel to Washington this week, came after the US administration announced last September that He was adding Colombia To the list of countries that failed to cooperate in the drug war for the first time in three decades.
Then came the bold military operation last month to arrest her Maduro and his wife to face federal drug conspiracy charges, a move strongly condemned by Petro. After Maduro was ousted, Trump put Colombia on notice, ominously warning Petro that he could be next.
Trump said of Petro last month that Colombia “is run by a sick man who loves to make cocaine and sell it to the United States.” “And he won’t for long, let me tell you.”
But a few days later, tensions eased somewhat after a phone call between the two leaders. In their hour-long conversation, Petro explained “the drug situation and other controversies,” Trump said. Trump invited Petro to visit the White House.
Trump on two occasions used the normally scripted leaders’ meetings to deliver a strongly worded rebuke of his counterparts to the press.
Trump and his Vice President, J.D. Vance He attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky In February to show insufficient gratitude for US support for Ukraine. Trump also took advantage of a meeting at the White House last May to forcefully confront the President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa,He accused the country With journalists in attendance, due to the failure to address Trump’s baseless claims about the systematic killing of white farmers.
It was not clear that the meeting between Trump and Petro would include part of it in front of the cameras.