Colombia accuses USA of shooting down boat – White House reacts

According to Colombian information, the latest ship attacked by the USA off Venezuela, which is said to have been carrying drugs, was Colombian. There were citizens of his country on board, President Gustavo Petro said on Platform X on Wednesday. “The aggression is directed against all of Latin America and the Caribbean,” Petro added. The attack announced by US President Donald Trump on Sunday draws Colombia into a US campaign that, according to the US, is aimed at drug smuggling off the coast of Venezuela.

The White House called on Colombian President Petro to retract his comments. “The United States expects President Petro to publicly retract his baseless and reprehensible statements so that we can return to productive dialogue,” a White House official told Reuters. Despite political differences, Colombia is an “indispensable strategic partner.” Both countries have common priorities, such as regional security. The Pentagon and the US State Department did not initially respond to inquiries.

In recent weeks there have been at least four attacks by the US military on ships off the coast of Venezuela. According to the Trump administration, 21 people were killed. The attacks have heightened tensions in the region. The US government broke off diplomatic contacts with Venezuela on Monday. Venezuela also began new military exercises on Wednesday.

Petro, who is currently in Belgium for talks with European politicians, was responding to a post by US Senator Adam Schiff. He had announced that he would vote against the attacks on ships in the Caribbean.

Legal experts criticize the approach of killing suspected drug smugglers at sea from a distance by the military instead of arresting them by the coast guard and determining the question of perpetrator according to the rule of law.

In Venezuela, Trump’s actions have fueled concerns that the government led by Nicolas Maduro, who is unpopular with the USA, could be the indirect target of the attacks. The US has offered a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest. In addition to election fraud, they accuse him of having connections to drug smugglers and criminal groups.