Trump announces a meeting with Gustavo Petro but demands to "prohibit the entry of cocaine and other drugs into the U.S."

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, confirmed this Friday that he will meet with his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, during the first week of February at the White House.

According to the announcement, the meeting is expected to address bilateral cooperation on security, drug trafficking, and regional politics, following several tense exchanges between the two leaders in which insults escalated.

“I look forward to meeting with Gustavo Petro, the president of Colombia, at the White House during the first week of February. I am confident that this will be very beneficial for Colombia and the United States, but cocaine and other drugs must be STOPPED before entering our country. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” the leader wrote on his official Social Truth account.

The statement was interpreted as a sign of diplomatic openness, following weeks of recent frictions between both governments, after Petro expressed his "concern" regarding the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that culminated in the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3.

In response, Trump accused the Colombian president of "defending an armed drug trafficker" and urged him to "worry more about the crime and drug trafficking that are destroying his country."

However, the White House confirmed that Petro and Trump had a "cordial" phone conversation on Wednesday, during which they agreed to keep the channels of communication open.

"I had a very good conversation with him. He has been very hostile, he called me a dictator... but I reconciled with other people before, so I look forward to that meeting," Trump told reporters.

The meeting between both leaders comes at a critical moment for the region, with the fall of Nicolás Maduro, the interim presidency of Delcy Rodríguez, and the control of the transition process by the United States.

Colombia, Washington's main ally in South America, is simultaneously facing increasing internal pressure from drug trafficking and rural violence, as well as the impact of the Venezuelan migration flow at its borders.