Colombian President Gustavo Petro has expressed his belief that there is now a “real threat” of US military action against his country. In an interview with the BBC, Petro accused the US of treating other nations as part of a US “empire” and warned that the US risks becoming “isolated from the world” if it continues down this path.
Petro’s comments come after former US President Donald Trump said a military operation in Colombia “sounds good.” Trump has also repeatedly told Petro to “watch his ass,” remarks that the Colombian president strongly condemned.
The tensions between the two leaders have been longstanding, with Petro and Trump frequently trading insults and tariff threats on social media. Following the US’s military action in Venezuela, Petro accused Washington of seeking wars over “oil and coal,” adding that if the US had not pulled out of the Paris Agreement, “there would be no wars, there would be a much more democratic and peaceful relationship with the world. And South America.”
Petro told the BBC that Trump’s remarks amounted to a “real threat,” citing Colombia’s loss of territory such as Panama in the 20th century. He said that “the prospect of removing [the threat] depends on the ongoing conversations,” but added that “Colombia’s history shows how it has responded to large armies.”
The Colombian president also strongly criticized recent US immigration enforcement, accusing ICE agents of operating like “Nazi brigades.” He said that if this continued, “instead of a United States dominating the world – an imperial dream – it is a United States isolated from the world. An empire was not built by being isolated from the world.”
Petro’s comments come at a time of heightened tensions between the US and Colombia, with the two countries at odds over a range of issues, including drug trafficking and immigration. As the world’s largest producer of cocaine, Colombia is a major hub for the global drug trade, and the US has said it will control sales of Venezuelan oil “indefinitely” as it prepares to roll back restrictions on the country’s crude in global markets.
Despite the tensions, Petro said that Colombia preferred dialogue with the US, but added that the country’s history showed “how it has responded to large armies.” The two leaders are expected to meet at the White House in the “near future,” according to Trump, as they seek to navigate the complex and often contentious relationship between their countries.