Gustavo Petro in his meeting with Donald Trump.Image: www.imago-images.de
After a series of mutual accusations, US President Donald Trump and Colombian head of state Gustavo Petro met for the first time in the White House.
02/04/2026, 04:1202/04/2026, 04:12
The focus of the conversation was the fight against drug trafficking. At a subsequent press conference, Trump announced that the meeting had gone excellently and that he found Petro “wonderful.” His guest, on the other hand, was more reserved.
Trump’s tone was significantly different than last time. The Republican recently said that Petro was a “sick man” who liked to produce cocaine and sell it to the USA. Now he said that his dislike was because he didn’t know Petro very well. But they are now working on an agreement to reduce the smuggling of illegal drugs into the USA.
Petro wants to help farmers and fight financiers
Petro was not as euphoric as the US President. There are different views on the problem of drug trafficking, he said at a press conference. Instead of a tough military approach against the criminal organizations, the ex-guerrilla wants to convince farmers in Colombia to grow legal agricultural products such as coffee or cocoa instead of cocaine, and to take decisive action against the financiers of the international drug trade.
“He hasn’t changed his way of thinking, and neither have I,” Petro said of Trump.
“But you don’t make a pact between twin brothers, you make a pact between opponents who find a common path.”
Colombia extradites drug traffickers to the USA
Colombia has long been the United States’ most important partner in South America. Recently, however, the relationship cooled down. The US government last year classified Colombia as a country that was failing to meet its international obligations in the fight against illegal drugs. The United States also imposed sanctions on President Petro on the grounds that he was not taking decisive action against drug trafficking.
The Colombian head of state, on the other hand, repeatedly emphasized the enormous commitment of the Colombian security forces against drug trafficking. Just on Tuesday, Colombia extradited an important drug trafficker to the USA.
Colombia is the largest cocaine producer in the world. According to the United Nations, the country has more than 250,000 hectares, around 65 percent of the world’s coca cultivation area. Although the security situation has improved since the peace agreement with the FARC rebel organization ten years ago, parts of the country are still controlled by armed groups. (sda/dpa)