Relations between President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro have turned sharply from open confrontation to cautious engagement over the past year, paving the way for a crucial meeting at the White House scheduled for Tuesday.
Once considered a model partnership in the Western Hemisphere, U.S.-Colombian ties are now being tested by deep disagreements over drug policy, security cooperation and migration.
Ahead of the visit, President Donald Trump suggested that the tone between the two leaders has changed in recent weeks, while underscoring that drug trafficking will dominate the talks.
“I mean, he’s been very nice these last two months,” Trump said at a news conference. “They were certainly critical before that. But somehow after the Venezuelan invasion he became very nice. He changed his attitude. Very much.”
LATIN AMERICA CONSENTED OVER TRUMP’S MADURO CAUGHT AS REGIONAL ALLIES SHIFT TO THE RIGHT
Trump said he looks forward to meeting Petro in person, while making clear that narcotics remain a central concern. “He’s coming in. We’re going to talk about drugs because he has massive amounts of drugs coming out of his country,” Trump said. ‘And I’m looking forward to seeing him. We’re going to have a good meeting.’
Colombian President Gustavo Petro delivers a speech during a troop recognition ceremony at the Jose Maria Cordova Military Cadet School in Bogota on March 11, 2025. (Raul Arboleda/AFP via Getty Images)
Colombia has long been one of Washington’s closest partners in South America, especially in the areas of counter-narcotics and security. Bilateral cooperation expanded dramatically beginning in 2000 under Plan Colombia, with U.S. military and law enforcement support playing a central role in Colombia’s fight against insurgents and drug trafficking networks. That cooperation helped stabilize the country and eventually led the United States to designate Colombia a major non-NATO ally. U.S. officials and analysts say the base has eroded in recent years due to diverging priorities and growing mistrust.
Tensions first erupted in January 2025, when Petro initially refused to allow U.S. deportation flights carrying Colombian nationals. The standoff prompted Trump to threaten tariffs, travel bans and visa restrictions before Colombia reversed course and agreed to accept the flights. The episode marked the first major rift between the two leaders following Trump’s return to office.
Relations deteriorated further in September 2025, when Petro traveled to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, participated in protests and publicly urged US soldiers to “ignore Trump’s orders”. The comments prompted the US State Department to revoke Petro’s visa on September 27, 2025. The following month, the Trump administration announced punitive measures against Petro and members of his inner circle, citing concerns about drug trafficking and security cooperation.
Colombian officials denounced the moves as politically motivated. Trump publicly branded Petro a “drug kingpin,” suspended U.S. aid and threatened additional punitive measures, sending relations to what observers described as the lowest point in decades.
TRUMP WARNS ‘SICK’ SOUTH AMERICAN LEADER, REPEATS ‘WE NEED GREENLAND’ FOR NATIONAL SECURITY
Retired military personnel take part in a rally to protest the economic and social reforms pushed by President Gustavo Petro’s government and his proposal to convene a Constituent Assembly in Bolivar Square in Bogota, Colombia, on Sunday, April 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Signs of de-escalation emerged last month when the two leaders spoke by phone for the first time since the diplomatic crisis. Trump later described the call as a “great honor” and said he appreciated Petro’s tone and looked forward to meeting him in person. Both sides agreed to restart dialogue on controversial issues, including the fight against drugs, migration and trade. Colombia then resumed U.S. deportation flights as part of broader efforts to stabilize relations, paving the way for Tuesday’s face-to-face meeting.
Melissa Ford Maldonado, director of the Western Hemisphere Initiative at the America First Policy Institute, said the visit highlights how much is now at stake for both countries.
TRUMP SIGNALS A LONG WAY AHEAD IN VENEZUELA IN HIS CLEAREST INTERVENTIONIST MOVE YET
Members of the Technical Investigation Board (CTI) inspect packages containing cocaine on a narco-submarine seized in Buenaventura, Colombia on March 20, 2021. According to authorities, these contained multiple packages of cocaine, were destined for the coasts of Mexico and belonged to an armed group of dissident FARC guerrillas. (LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images)
She said the Trump administration’s goals ahead of the meeting are likely to focus on restoring what she described as “real cooperation” on counter-drug and security issues after years of drift.
“Collaboration on narcotics and security will likely dominate the conversation,” Maldonado said, pointing to record cocaine production and what she described as growing tolerance within parts of the Colombian state for criminal networks. She argued that Washington has increasingly treated Colombia as a country that is not meeting American expectations in the fight against illegal drugs.
People displaced by violence in towns in the Catatumbo region, where National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels have clashed with former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, line up to register for shelter at a stadium in Cúcuta, Colombia, Sunday, January 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Maldonado said the government has indicated it is no longer willing to accommodate governments it believes enable narco-criminal ecosystems.
“What we need to look at going forward is whether Colombia chooses to correct course or continues to drift towards the neighborly model, blurring the line between the state and organized crime,” she said. “Colombia has earned its status as a major non-NATO ally through decades of sacrifice. That trust has been deeply damaged, but it is not irreparable if Colombia shows genuine resolve against cartels, rejects political cover for criminal groups and clearly rejoins the United States on hemisphere security.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
She added: “This visit should make one thing undeniable: the United States wants a strong, sovereign Colombia. It is in America’s best interests. However, the country will not tolerate ambiguity when it comes to narco-terrorism, regional security or the security of the American people,” Maldonado said.
