The US president denounced the Colombian president and suspended financial aid, while the Pentagon reports attacks on drug boats off Colombia.
Donald Trump accused this Wednesday to the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, if “a bully” and “a bad guy” that manufactures “many drugs”in statements that revive the strain between both governments after the suspension of US financial aid to the South American country.
The North American president launched his statements before journalists in the Oval Office, where he insisted that Petro “is involved in the manufacture of many drugs”. The accusation adds to the expressions of the weekend, when Trump had described him as a “drug trafficking leader” and announced the cancellation of funds destined for bilateral cooperation.
The diplomatic conflict between Washington and Bogotá grows
Trump’s measure was accompanied by a speech full of warnings. “They have cocaine factories. They grow all kinds of crap and the bad drugs that come into the United States generally go through Mexico, and “You better be careful and take very serious measures against him and his country.”said the American president.
The verbal escalation coincides with an increase in military operations in the region. The Pentagon reported this Wednesday that US forces they attacked a alleged drug boat off the coast of Colombia, in Pacific waters, as part of its offensive against drug trafficking.
Gustavo Petro’s response: he denounces “threat of invasion”
President Gustavo Petro, according to local media, flatly denied any connection with illicit activities: “I am not a businessman or drug trafficker, I believe in the common good and in life,” he stated, addressing the former US president directly. Petro contrasted his vision with what he described as “the capitalist model that fuels greed and drug trafficking.”
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According to the Colombian president, his government prioritizes structural and sustainable solutions in terms of security and the fight against drugs, defending the results obtained so far. The president maintains that these comments are intended influence Colombian national politics and affect the climate prior to the next electionsdescribing the tone as foreign interference.
Faced with the accusations and the suspension of aid, the Colombian government reacted firmly. On Monday, Bogotá called its ambassador in Washington for consultations and presented a formal complaint for what he considered a “threat of invasion” by the United States, marking a new critical point in the bilateral relationship.
Source: Ambito
