Colombian President Gustavo Petro gave an interview to the international network CNN in which he addressed the controversy sparked by accusations from the president of the United States, who claims the Venezuelan president is a supposed drug-trafficking leader. Although the Colombian president made clear that he does not share the political orientation or governing model of the Venezuelan leader, he warned that it is misleading to accept the American president’s assertions as absolute truth, since — he said — there is no conclusive evidence supporting that allegation.
The president’s words once again reveal the complexity of regional relations: They challenge the United States’ narrative on drug trafficking, raise doubts about neutrality in Latin American conflicts, and highlight, once again, the fragility of international consensus regarding U.S. accusations against Latin American governments that Washington considers hostile.
It is worth recalling that Petro himself is accused — so far without evidence — by the White House of being involved in drug trafficking in Colombia, an argument that served President Trump to justify the inclusion of the Colombian president on the so-called Clinton List.
Colombia’s Petro rejects US accusations that Maduro is a Venezuelan drug lord
In his appearance on CNN, the Colombian president underscored that his country does not support or recognize as legitimate an authoritarian leadership — in reference to the Venezuelan government — marking a clear distance from the neighboring country’s governing model, a relationship that has deteriorated since last year’s controversial presidential elections in Venezuela.
However, Petro emphasized that such distancing does not imply accepting other governments’ judgments at face value, especially when they stem from political or strategic motivations. Drug-trafficking accusations, he argued, demand rigorous standards of proof before becoming international dogma. This warning does not represent support for Venezuela but a defense of the principle of not presuming guilt without concrete evidence.
This nuance confirms Colombia’s diplomatic position amid the crisis and the growing military threat against Venezuela: Colombia seeks an alternative solution to the neighboring country’s crisis, rejecting the binary polarization between those who support the Venezuelan government and those who condemn it without proof that it leads drug-trafficking groups.
By distinguishing between political criticism — legitimate — and judicial accusation — which requires evidence — the Colombian president aims to preserve his country’s credibility in the international arena and, above all, to avoid a military confrontation that could destabilize the entire region.
The public statement of not endorsing automatic accusations has several consequences. First, it generates friction with Washington, given that the United States insists on linking the Venezuelan government to drug-trafficking networks, an argument it uses to justify the impressive military deployment in the Caribbean. That tension comes at a time when the U.S. government’s designation of alleged Venezuelan criminal organizations as “terrorists” complicates multilateral relations in the region.
Second, this stance also carries risks. Relations between the Trump administration and Colombia have gone through a turbulent year. Since the first week of the administration, the U.S. president has had frictions that, over time, have escalated into open confrontations with the Colombian government. Petro himself has suffered the consequences, and since September he has been without a U.S. visa and — later — was added to the Clinton List.
Similar US accusations against Gustavo Petro
Despite having an entirely democratic government, far removed from the authoritarian principles of the Venezuelan reality, Colombia has also been the target of U.S. accusations, especially in the last three months. In fact, President Petro has been accused — like Maduro — of being a drug-trafficking leader.
“They say I’m a drug-trafficking boss because I talk with private drug-trafficking armies and pursue the kingpins,” he told CNN in response to the harsh allegations he receives from the United States.
Regarding his approach to confronting drug trafficking — criticized by the Americans — Petro explained: “My strategy is different [referring to traditional anti-drug policy]: I want less violence in Colombia. I don’t attack the peasantry because that would be the fuse that sparks a new war. I try to pull young people out of the conflict. They are drug-trafficking armies, yes, but I go after the kingpins like no one else,” he said.
On this point, Petro sought to draw a clear line between the “armed people who roam the mountains or the boatmen, who are poor people hired out of hunger” and who serve the kingpins, who — according to him — must be the true focus of state pursuit as the real responsible players in drug trafficking.
The Colombian president reiterated that this policy of his government “doesn’t get through to Trump,” pointing to the U.S. president’s top advisers on Latin American issues as those responsible for the alleged distortion.”
Related: Critical Days Ahead for Colombia’s Government Tax Reform.