US President Donald Trump spoke on the phone with Colombian President Gustavo Petro and invited him to the White House. This came after the two leaders exchanged harsh remarks about each other, with Trump threatening Petro with a repeat of the fate of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who was taken to the US by the US military.
Trump wrote on the social media network Truth Social that talking to the Colombian leader was a “great honour” for him. During the conversation, which was initiated by Petro, the Colombian leader, according to Trump, explained to him the drug situation and disagreements on other topics. I appreciated his call and his tone,” Trump wrote, noting that preparations were underway for the White House meeting.
Earlier, US authorities revoked the visa issued to Gustavo Petro to enter the country – after he took part in a pro-Palestinian protest in New York.
The Colombian president told a rally of his supporters that he had spoken to Trump for the first time to restart dialogue between the two countries. He called the dialogue a historic event. ‘We will talk to President Trump about global peace and democracy, peace in Latin America and its sovereignty, peace in Colombia and the strategy to fight drugs,’ Peter said of the topics for the upcoming meeting. He also noted that he spoke to Trump about how Latin America could be a source of “clean energy” for the U.S. and other countries.
Gustavo Peter holds left-wing views. He has strongly condemned the US operation in Venezuela and the arrest of Maduro. He has also criticised the Trump administration for supporting Israel. Trump responded by referring to the Colombian leader as an “unhealthy person who produces cocaine and sells it to the United States. He also said that proposals for a Venezuelan-like military operation in Colombia “sound good.”