US President Trump Invites Colombian Petro to White House Meeting

US President Donald Trump Invites Colombian Leader Gustavo Petro to White House

In a sudden shift, US President Donald Trump has invited Colombian leader Gustavo Petro to the White House, following an hour-long phone call between the two leaders on Wednesday. The conversation reportedly covered “the situation of drugs” and “other disagreements”, according to Trump.

The meeting comes days after Trump’s threat of military action against Colombia, which prompted Petro to issue a call for Colombians to take to the streets in support of his government. Petro had also condemned the US attack on Venezuela as “abhorrent”.

Trump announced that arrangements are being made for a meeting between himself and Petro in Washington, although no specific date has been set.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro addressed protesters at Bogota’s Plaza Bolivar after the call with Trump, stating that a detente was underway and that he had to change his speech at the last minute. He also accused Colombian politicians of misleading Trump.

Relations between Trump and Petro have been strained since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. The US president has repeatedly accused Petro’s administration of enabling cocaine trafficking into the US, while Petro has condemned Trump’s comments as false and misleading.

The two leaders had previously sparred over issues such as deportation flights from the US and Trump’s stance on Israel’s war in Gaza. Despite tensions, Colombia remains critical to the US military’s fight against left-wing rebels and drug traffickers, with Washington providing Bogota with roughly $14bn in the last two decades.

Source: Al Jazeera