President Trump said he would meet with his Colombian counterpart after a “positive call” between the two leaders who had exchanged threats just days ago over the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro spoke over the phone on Wednesday, with the heated exchange between the two leaders appearing to turn amicable enough for a White House invitation.
“It was a Great Honor to speak with the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who called to explain the situation of drugs and other disagreements that we have had,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“I appreciated his call and tone, and look forward to meeting him in the near future,” Trump added.
Prior to a direct meeting between the two presidents, Trump said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would meet with Colombia’s Foreign Minister in the White House.
The confirmation came after NewsNation White House correspondent Kellie Meyer reported that Trump and Petro had a “good and positive call.”
The announcement comes after Trump suggested over the weekend that a defiant Petro was behind Colombia’s drug cartels and could be America’s next target following the military raid that captured Maduro and his wife.
“Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long,” Trump told reporters.
Petro led Latin America’s criticism of Trump’s operation and warned on Monday that Colombia was ready to “take up arms” if the US were ever to attack his country.
As Colombia now appears open to diplomatic talks with the US, Petro’s office has confirmed that he will meet with Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez in the coming days.
“In order to contribute to a solution to the political crisis in Venezuela, the Colombian president will meet with the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, during an official visit to the Casa de Nariño (Presidential Palace), with the purpose of advancing peace and reconciliation in the neighboring country,” Petro’s office said in a statement.
Trump had previously threatened Rodríguez with a fate worse than what happened with Maduro if she failed to comply with America’s demands for civil order and oil in Venezuela.
