US President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro spoke by phone this week, marking their first direct contact since Petro took office in 2022 and signaling a possible pause in a rapidly deteriorating bilateral relationship. The call followed months of public confrontation, sanctions, and mutual threats that had pushed ties between Washington and Bogotá to their lowest point in years.
Trump described the conversation as constructive, saying Petro reached out to clarify disagreements over drug policy and broader regional issues. He indicated that both sides were now working toward an in-person meeting, with preliminary discussions underway for Petro to visit the White House.
Relations between the two leaders had been openly hostile. Trump imposed sanctions on Petro last year and revoked his US visa after the Colombian president condemned US military strikes in the Caribbean that Washington said targeted narcotics trafficking routes. Petro argued those operations harmed civilian fishermen, prompting Trump to accuse him of being aligned with drug interests.
The dispute intensified after a US special operation in Caracas over the weekend resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Petro denounced the raid as a violation of Venezuelan sovereignty and international law, aligning himself with a wave of regional and global criticism that included Russia and China.
Speaking to supporters in Bogotá after the call, Petro said he had urged the restoration of direct communication between senior officials on both sides. Without dialogue, he warned, escalation becomes inevitable. His remarks reflected Colombia’s long history of internal conflict and sensitivity to foreign intervention.
Petro later elaborated online, acknowledging deep disagreements with Trump’s vision for US relations with Latin America. He argued that Washington’s focus on security operations and access to natural resources risks destabilizing the region, and instead called for US investment in clean energy and development as a foundation for long-term cooperation.
Despite his criticism of US policy, Petro has repeatedly emphasized that combating organized crime remains a central priority of his presidency. He has pointed to record cocaine seizures under his administration and warned that Colombia would resist any external military action on its territory.
The phone call does not resolve these contradictions, but it suggests both governments recognize the costs of unchecked escalation. For Washington, Colombia remains a key strategic partner in the hemisphere. For Bogotá, maintaining dialogue with the United States remains essential, even as Petro seeks to redefine the terms of that relationship.
The exchange highlights a broader moment of flux in US-Latin American relations, where long-standing security frameworks are increasingly contested and new political alignments are emerging. Whether this tentative thaw leads to substantive change, or merely delays another rupture, remains an open question.