Trump to host Colombian president at White House in February

US President Donald Trump confirmed Friday that he will host Colombian President Gustavo Petro for discussions at the White House during the first week of February. The announcement followed a phone call between the two leaders earlier this week. Trump emphasized on his Truth Social platform that the meeting should yield positive outcomes for both nations, but stressed that "cocaine and other drugs must be stopped from coming into the United States."

Contentious Background and Alleged Threats

The planned summit comes after months of Trump publicly criticizing Petro's administration, previously accusing the Colombian leader of operating "cocaine factories." In an interview with Spain's El Pais published Friday, Petro made a serious allegation regarding their recent call, stating, "Trump told me in a phone call that he was thinking of doing bad things in Colombia. The message was that they were already preparing, planning a military operation." The left-wing president suggested he believed the threat was now "frozen" but acknowledged, "I could be mistaken."

Regional Security Concerns

Petro expressed fears of potentially sharing the fate of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who was captured by US forces in Caracas last weekend. "Any president, anywhere in the world, can be removed if he or she does not align with certain interests," he said. While acknowledging Colombia's lack of air defense capabilities, Petro called for popular resistance in the event of any foreign military operation on Colombian soil, highlighting the tense backdrop for the upcoming diplomatic engagement.

Focus on Drug Policy

The primary public focus of the meeting, as framed by Trump, will be counter-narcotics cooperation. Trump's repeated accusations linking Petro's government to drug production have been a persistent source of bilateral tension. The forthcoming talks represent a significant, high-stakes diplomatic encounter between the US and a major South American partner, with regional security and drug policy at the forefront of the agenda.