Petro defends Colombia’s sovereignty after Trump links the country to US drug-war targets: Video
Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned what he described as direct threats from the United States on Thursday, December 4, after Donald Trump accused Colombia of producing and trafficking cocaine and suggested the country could become a target in a future counternarcotics operation.
Speaking at a military officers’ ceremony in Bogotá, Petro warned that Colombia “is not to be threatened,” invoking the cost the nation has paid in its decades-long confrontation with drug cartels.
The president argued that Colombia has shed “blood and blood” fighting drug trafficking for more than half a century, insisting that the issue cannot be addressed through force but through dialogue. He sharply criticised Trump’s remarks, accusing the United States of shifting blame while consuming the very narcotics Colombia has battled to curb. “Then the thanks are an insult,” Petro declared, adding that those who escalate threats risk awakening “the American jaguar that is asleep in the heart of the people.”
Trump’s comments earlier in the week, warning that any country producing or trafficking drugs into the US could be “subject to attacks”, raised concerns in Bogotá, particularly after he hinted Colombia could be added to the list of potential targets alongside Venezuela. His statement came as he renewed calls for ground operations against drug networks operating in Venezuelan territory.
The exchange comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Caracas, with the US maintaining naval deployments in the Caribbean, including the USS Gerald Ford, as Venezuela mobilises its armed forces and millions of militia members. Petro’s intervention adds a new layer of regional friction as disputes over sovereignty, security and counternarcotics strategy intensify.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
