Post by : Meena Ariff

U.S. President Donald Trump suddenly changed his tone towards Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday. Trump announced that they had a friendly phone conversation and that he invited Petro to visit the White House soon.

Trump posted on his social media, “It was a great honor to speak with the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro. He called to explain issues around drugs and other disagreements we had. I appreciated his call and tone and look forward to meeting him soon.”

This statement came just days after Trump harshly criticized Petro. Earlier, Trump accused the Colombian leader of being involved in cocaine production and selling it to the United States. Trump also called Colombia “very sick” during comments about the U.S. military operation aimed at Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Trump even hinted that U.S. intervention in Colombia might be possible.

However, on Wednesday, Petro said he had spoken with Trump for about an hour. Speaking to thousands of protesters in Bogotá, Colombia’s capital, Petro explained that their conversation focused on two main topics: Venezuela and drug trafficking.

Petro also claimed that some Colombian politicians connected to drug trafficking had misled Trump to turn him against Petro. He called the recent tensions between the U.S. and Colombia a “diplomatic” and “verbal” crisis caused by these false reports.

The shift in Trump’s attitude is surprising, especially since Petro strongly condemned the recent U.S. operation against Maduro in Venezuela. Petro called the operation an “abhorrent” violation of Latin American sovereignty and compared it to a Nazi bombing during World War II.

Colombia has long been a close ally of the United States in Latin America. For decades, both countries have worked together to fight drug trafficking, stop rebel groups, and improve rural development. Colombia is known as the world’s largest producer of cocaine.

Despite this alliance, tensions had been growing. In October, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Petro, his family, and a member of his government for alleged involvement in the global drug trade. The U.S. also reduced assistance to Colombia after labeling the country as not cooperating in the drug war for the first time in nearly 30 years.

Trump’s campaign against drug trafficking started with strikes on suspected drug boats from Venezuela and later expanded to target similar vessels linked to Colombia.

Despite all the accusations and sanctions, Trump’s recent message suggests he is willing to improve relations with Petro and Colombia.

#Donald Trump