The Colombian president Gustavo Petro arrived in Havana on Friday for an official visit, where he was received at the Palacio de la Revolución by Miguel Díaz-Canel in what marks the president's last international trip before handing over power on August 7.
According to the Cuban Foreign Ministry on its official website, Petro landed at the "José Martí" International Airport and was welcomed on the runway by Cuba's Deputy Foreign Minister, Josefina Vidal Ferreiro.
The bilateral agenda, according to the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, focuses on "the advancements in relations between both countries," with an emphasis on economic and trade matters, investment, and cooperation, as well as issues of regional and international interest.
The visit, scheduled for about 48 hours, carries an evident symbolic significance: it is the third time Petro has traveled to Cuba during his term, and the last time he will do so as head of state.
The Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio explained that the purpose of the trip was "to show political solidarity with Cuba, to thank the Cuban people, and to reiterate in international forums the defense of the sovereignty and autonomy of States."
Petro himself had announced on his X account that he changed a planned tour to the United States for a visit to Cuba, in a gesture that his critics interpreted as a last-minute political statement.
The trip was not without controversy in Colombia. Carolina Gómez, spokesperson appointed by the elected president Abelardo de la Espriella, harshly criticized the decision, stating that "it has nothing to do with the benefit of Colombians."
The political context makes this visit a farewell gesture with historical implications: De la Espriella, from the right and with a preference for the Trump administration, announced on July 27 the severance of diplomatic relations with Cuba effective from the day of his inauguration, which would make this trip by Petro the final chapter of a period of rapprochement between the two countries.
If that break occurs, it would be the third in the history of Cuba-Colombia relations.
The Cuban regime reacted to De la Espriella's announcement calling it a sign of alignment with the United States, while Marco Rubio congratulated the Colombian president-elect after his victory in June, and Trump celebrated the end of the Petro era.
During his term, Petro visited Cuba twice before: in June 2023, for the conclusion of the third cycle of peace negotiations with the ELN—where Cuba served as the guaranteeing country and host—and in September of the same year, for the G77+China summit, where he also held a bilateral meeting with Díaz-Canel.
Petro has been one of the few Latin American leaders who has publicly defended Cuba in the past year: he urged Trump to change his policy towards the island, stated that Cuba "should be helped and applauded," and ordered the shipment of Colombian rice to the island in May 2026, a gesture for which Díaz-Canel publicly expressed his gratitude.
The visit comes at a time when Cuba is experiencing a deep economic, energy, and social crisis, marked by prolonged blackouts, shortages of food, fuel, and medicine, and a relentless mass emigration; a reality that the regime attributes to the U.S. embargo but which is the result of decades of dictatorial management.
On social media, the reception of Petro generated divided comments among Cubans, many of whom questioned the practical value of the visit for a population facing daily hardships, while others interpreted it as a symbolic political endorsement at a time of increasing international isolation for the regime.
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