The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, once again appeared critical of the strategy of U.S. President Donald Trump of harassment and intimidation toward Venezuela, this time for considering the airspace over and around the South American country to be closed. In a statement on social media, the Colombian president denounced what he considers a serious violation of international law and the principles of sovereignty.
In his reaction, which constitutes another chapter in the open disagreements he maintains with President Trump, Petro warned that measures like this constitute “a direct violation of national sovereignty” and demand the world’s attention.
The truth is that the closure of Venezuelan airspace represents a worrying step in the military escalation that, despite announcements of parallel dialogues, could bring forward the imminence of a U.S. attack on Venezuelan territory.
Colombia’s Petro criticizes Trump’s closure of Venezuelan airspace
Petro harshly questioned the legitimacy of a foreign head of state deciding to close the skies of another nation. “Under what rule of international law can a president of one country close the airspace of another nation?” he asked in his message, in a clearly defiant tone. He stressed that such a measure, if it lacks a recognized legal basis, would represent a breakdown of the international order and of state sovereignty.
In his role as president of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Petro urged the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to convene an urgent session to review what happened. He also called on airlines to reject any order they consider “illegal” and warned that companies that cooperate with the closure of Venezuelan airspace could face sanctions.
Quiero saber ¿bajo que norma de derecho internacional un presidente de un país le puede cerrar el espacio aéreo a otra nación?
Si eso existe, me disculpan mi atrevimiento, pero si no existe y la OACI esta fallando en este momento, le digo al mundo que un espacio aéreo nacional…
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) November 30, 2025
Later, in a new statement, Gustavo Petro argued that “President Trump has only ordered U.S. aviation companies not to operate their scheduled routes to Venezuela; his order is only binding for U.S. companies. All other companies in the world must decide in accordance with ICAO regulations, whose secretary general is Colombian. As for companies of Colombian origin, all of them must comply with the authorized routes.”
The Colombian president was emphatic and, in a third statement, wrote that “the closure of Venezuela’s airspace is completely illegal. ICAO must meet immediately. The ICAO secretary general must convene the Assembly at once. There is no authorization from the UN Security Council for military actions against our neighbor.”
In an appeal to the international community, Petro asked President Trump “to return to respect for the international legal order, which is the accumulated wisdom of human civilization.” He also requested “that the European Union, in light of the agreement reached between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean, order the normalization of flights to Venezuela or fine the companies that do not comply” and, finally, “that all countries in Latin America and the Caribbean resume their normal flights.”
El cierre del espacio aéreo de Venezuela es completamente ilegal. La OACI debe reunirse de inmediato.
El secretario general de la OACI debe convocar de inmediato la Asamblea
No hay autorización del consejo de seguridad de la ONU para acciones militares sobre nuestro vecino.
El…
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) November 30, 2025
Drums of war in Venezuela
Since August, tensions between the United States and Venezuela have steadily escalated, culminating today in a scenario that many analysts describe as the threshold of open conflict. What began as a diplomatic dispute over the White House’s announcement of a crackdown on drug trafficking in the Caribbean soon shifted toward direct accusations of alleged collusion by Caracas in such illegal activities and in the flow of drugs into the U.S.
The crisis took shape in late August, when Donald Trump’s administration ordered the additional deployment of naval and air units under the so-called Hemispheric Freedom Operation. Caracas responded by mobilizing troops toward the western border and strengthening its strategic alliance with Russia and Iran, which sent advisers and technical support.
Since then, the exchange of accusations has been constant: the United States accuses Nicolás Maduro of harboring criminal cells and facilitating drug-trafficking operations; Venezuela denounces an “imperial aggression” and a strategy to force regime change.
Over these months, several incidents have raised the risk of confrontation: U.S. drone overflights, missile strikes against alleged drug-running boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific—operations that have left more than 80 dead—and naval maneuvers increasingly close to the South American country’s territorial waters.
Despite confirmation that last week Donald Trump and Nicolás Maduro spoke by phone in an effort to de-escalate the conflict, the point of greatest alarm came yesterday, when the White House announced the complete closure of Venezuelan airspace to aircraft not only from the United States but of any type and flag, which in practice could mean that preliminary military operations to secure the region may soon begin.