The historic meeting at the White House between Colombian President Gustavo Petro and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, is moving forward. Without an honor guard and without an official reception, Petro entered through a side door, despite the fact that the first images released by the Colombian presidency show an atmosphere of apparent cordiality.
On the Colombian side, Petro was accompanied by Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio, the ambassador in Washington, Daniel Garcia-Peña, and Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez. As members of the U.S. delegation accompanying Trump are Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Republican Senator Bernie Moreno, of Colombian origin.
Historic meeting between Colombia’s Petro and President Trump moves forward
The visit by Colombian President Gustavo Petro to the White House to meet with his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, marks a key moment in the bilateral relationship between the two countries. The meeting, which is taking place at this hour in Washington, comes amid accumulated tensions, regional political shifts, and shared challenges that compel Bogotá and Washington to redefine priorities and channels of cooperation.
The importance of the meeting lies, first and foremost, in the need to rebuild and update the bilateral agenda after months of contradictory signals and public disagreements. The United States remains Colombia’s main trading partner and a central player in security issues, the fight against drug trafficking, and financial cooperation. For the Colombian government, direct dialogue with Trump is key to ensuring stability in a relationship with long-term economic and political impacts.
Among the central items on the agenda is trade, particularly the review of trade flows that exceed US$30 billion annually and the defense of the Free Trade Agreement. Security cooperation also features prominently, with an emphasis on combating illegal economies, drug trafficking, and violence associated with armed groups, as well as the approach both governments take toward anti-drug policy.
Another relevant point is Colombia’s peace process and the role of the United States as an international ally in implementing the Havana Agreement, along with the security challenges that persist in several regions of the country.
Added to this are issues such as migration, climate change, and the energy transition — areas in which Petro has sought to position a different vision within the dialogue with Washington.
The meeting at the White House seeks not only to resolve specific differences but also to lay the foundations for a pragmatic relationship capable of adapting to an increasingly complex regional and global landscape.
#AEstaHora se desarrolla la reunión entre el Jefe de Estado @PetroGustavo y el Presidente Donald Trump, en compañía de las delegaciones de Colombia y Estados Unidos.
📍Oficina Oval
📸: Gobierno de Colombia pic.twitter.com/IyKpFwAlSG— Presidencia Colombia 🇨🇴 (@infopresidencia) February 3, 2026
Cordiality and an agenda would be a major success in a context of strong disagreements
Today’s meeting comes after a year of growing disagreements, threats, and U.S. sanctions against both Colombia as a country — decertification of the fight against drug trafficking — and President Petro and his inner circle — such as his inclusion on the Clinton List and the revocation of his visa.
In this sense, the meeting itself is already a victory for Colombian diplomacy. Given the need to rebuild dialogue between two historic allies, Colombian diplomacy experts say that a cordial atmosphere and a clear agenda of future issues to be addressed could already be considered a success.
It should be recalled that Senator Moreno — highly hostile to Gustavo Petro and his government — held a meeting a few days ago with the former Colombian ambassador to London and current aspirant to the presidency of Colombia, Roy Barreras.