Bogotá, Colombia—— The long-awaited diplomatic meeting aimed at improving relations between the United States and Colombia took place today at 11:00 am at the White House and lasted more than two hours.
At a press conference after the meeting, Colombian President Gustavo Petro briefly outlined his discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump, which included positive dialogue on Venezuela's recovery, clean energy and counter-narcotics efforts.
The face-to-face meeting came after months of bitter bickering between the two leaders and was held discreetly under previously set conditions: no cameras and limited attendance.
Petro was accompanied to the Oval Office by Foreign Affairs Secretary Rosa Villavicencio, Defense Secretary Pedro Sanchez and U.S. Ambassador Daniel Garcia Pena. Trump was joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Republican Senator Bernie Moreno.
Petro spoke for the first time in an interview with Radio Caracol. he explain Discussions ranged from security, fighting drug trafficking, clean energy to the future of Venezuela and the stability of its borders. He also expressed optimism about bilateral relations.
The press conference, held at the Colombian Embassy in the United States, began around 5:00 p.m., with Petro detailing the issues discussed. He described the meeting as positive, saying: “We can be very different, but what brings us together is freedom.”
One of the topics discussed was the possible recovery of Venezuela's economy and the role the United States could play, for example by lifting sanctions. “Trump himself said so,” Petro noted, describing the sanctions as “anti-economic” and “irrational.” “This is not a path of sanctions; it is a path of freedom… Real solutions are based on freedom.”
In this context, he spoke of the potential of clean energy and said the project in La Guajira, on Colombia's northeastern tip, could provide enough electricity for the entire Colombia and Venezuela, “even” for export.
Regarding the fight against drug trafficking, Petro revealed that he asked Donald Trump to help “reconcile” with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, who is engaged in a trade war with Colombia. He proposed establishing a “trilateral alliance” with the United States and Ecuador, emphasizing the need for joint coordination to capture major drug lords.
“The persecution of farmers is not an effective fight,” Petro said, adding that intelligence cooperation had “expanded”.
But Petro also reiterated his previous criticism of international drug monitoring in Colombia. He said UNODC data had been “terrible for more than a decade”, adding that he agreed with the United States that independent scientific verification was needed.
“We seized almost 15 tons of cocaine in three days,” said the Colombian leader, claiming that his government had seized the most tons of cocaine, extradited the most Colombians and killed the fewest.
At this point, he celebrated the success of his preferred policy of voluntary alternatives to illicit crops: “Colombia has found a peaceful way to eradicate the coca crop.”
As a symbol of this approach, Petro brought a basket filled with Colombian products such as coffee and chocolate from the illicit crop substitution program, a cornerstone of his government's agenda. These products are It is said Produced by households transformed into a legal economy.
Regarding the transformation in the relationship between the two leaders reflected in the photos released after the meeting, Petro said that this is not an agreement between twin brothers, but an agreement between opponents who can find the path to the common brotherhood of mankind.
Petro also revealed that Trump told him, “I like you.” In fact, at the end of the meeting, Trump shared The photo of the two of them is full of dedication. “Gustavo: It's a great honor. I love Colombia.”
Petro spoke on Caracol Radio explain War can be “created through headlines, rumors or tweets. Colombia has experienced this. That is why it is better to have a face-to-face dialogue and not condescend to each other: we can get to know each other, see where we went wrong and avoid any violence.”
But the Colombian president said there was no discussion about adding him to the OFAC list, which means he remains subject to personal sanctions from the U.S. Treasury Department.
Petro acknowledged that differences remained, including over what was happening in Gaza, but stressed that the meeting was not about “humiliation.” “We discussed specific issues and common paths to address them.”
Featured Image Description: President Donald J. Trump meets with Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the White House.
Featured image credit: @WhiteHouse via X.
