Gustavo Petro questions the existence of the Cartel of the Suns and supports Maduro

The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, once again found himself in the spotlight after coming to the defense of Nicolás Maduro and denying the existence of the so-called Cártel de los Soles, which the United States has designated as a terrorist organization and whose leader, according to Washington, is the Venezuelan president himself.

"The cartel of the suns does not exist; it is the fictitious excuse of the far right to overthrow governments that do not obey them," Petro wrote on his X account, where he accused the international right of fabricating accusations to justify the downfall of inconvenient governments.

According to the Colombian president, the cocaine trafficking that passes through Venezuela is controlled by "drug trafficking boards" with leaders living in Europe and the Middle East, rather than Chavista military forces.

The public defense of Maduro takes place at a particularly delicate moment, as the government of Donald Trump has doubled the reward for information leading to his capture, raising it to 50 million dollars, and has increased pressure on Caracas with the presence of U.S. warships off the Venezuelan coast.

Petro's statements generated immediate reactions in the United States. The Republican congressman from Florida, Carlos Giménez, stated that the Colombian president “has just signed his own sentence” and warned that the U.S. Congress will not take lightly a statement that, in his opinion, amounts to collaborating with a cartel labeled as narco-terrorism.

"On the contrary, it is very serious", wrote Giménez, reflecting the growing tension between Bogotá and Washington, in a context where the White House has taken a tougher stance against chavismo and its regional allies.

At the beginning of the month, Petro also spoke out in defense of Latin American judicial sovereignty and mentioned the Venezuelan president in a tweet. The Colombian dignitary questioned what he sees as "undue pressures" from U.S. officials on Colombia and denounced attempts to instrumentalize justice in the region.

"Justice must be independent from the government, from Alaska to Patagonia. I do not agree with spilling Latin American blood through imposition," stated Petro, who also asserted that Maduro has collaborated with Colombia in the fight against drug trafficking at the border.

Petro's words align with a new naval deployment by the U.S. in the Caribbean, where destroyers and amphibious ships are approaching Venezuela to . Maduro, for his part, has responded by mobilizing millions of militia members in his country and accusing Washington of preparing an intervention.

Frequently Asked Questions about Gustavo Petro's statements and the Cartel of Suns