Trump, Petro meet at White House after months of friction over regional policy

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump hosted Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the White House on Tuesday, marking the first in-person meeting between the two leaders after a year marked by sharp public disputes and diplomatic strain.

The meeting was also Trump’s first sit-down with a South American head of state since the US captured Nicolas Maduro last month, an operation that sent shockwaves across the region and intensified tensions between Washington and Bogota.

First high-level meeting since Maduro’s capture

The bilateral meeting came against the backdrop of the US operation in Venezuela, which Petro has fiercely criticized.

According to a report by NBC News, discussions were expected to focus on Venezuela’s stability, its porous border with Colombia, oil and energy issues, and guarantees around the independence of Colombia’s upcoming presidential elections.

The meeting followed weeks of behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts to prevent a further breakdown in relations.

Ahead of the meeting, Trump struck a notably more conciliatory tone toward Petro, despite months of heated rhetoric.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump said narcotics would be a key focus, claiming “tremendous amounts of drugs come out of” Colombia.

Still, he said he expected the meeting to be productive, describing Petro as cooperative in recent weeks.

“He was certainly critical before that but, somehow, after the Venezuelan raid, he became very nice,” Trump said. “He changed his attitude very much.”

Petro, who is term-limited and set to leave office in August, has frequently clashed with Trump over US policy in Latin America, particularly on Venezuela, d**g interdictions in the eastern Pacific, and the deportation of Colombians from the United States.

A relationship strained by threats and protests

After Maduro’s capture, Petro accused the US of violating regional sovereignty and described the operation as a kidnapping.

Trump responded with unusually harsh language, at one point suggesting a US military operation in Colombia “sounds good” and calling Petro a “sick man.”

Those remarks triggered fear and anger in Colombia and fueled nationwide anti-American demonstrations in support of Petro.

Last week, Petro escalated tensions by demanding that the US return Maduro to Venezuela to stand trial.

He later softened his position, saying he was not defending the Venezuelan leader, a shift Colombian officials described as an effort to lower the temperature ahead of the White House meeting.

Relations were further strained in October when Trump imposed sanctions on Petro, members of his family and a Cabinet official over alleged ties to the global drug trade.

Petro has denied the allegations and vowed to challenge the sanctions in a US court.

The move followed pressure from Republican lawmakers, including Sen Bernie Moreno of Ohio, who has emerged as a key voice shaping US policy toward Colombia.

Despite the tensions, some lawmakers have sought to repair the historically close alliance.

Sen Rand Paul of Kentucky helped facilitate a phone call between Trump and Petro in late January, which both leaders described positively and which ultimately led to Tuesday’s meeting.