Colombia’s Minister of Defense, Pedro Sanchez, embarked on an official trip to the United States with the central mission of strengthening bilateral cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking. The visit, strategic in nature, comes at a moment of relative easing of tensions between Bogota and Washington, following months of strain that at one point escalated to cuts in anti-drug aid and harsh exchanges of statements between President Gustavo Petro and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Three weeks ahead of the long-anticipated meeting between Petro and Trump at the White House, Sanchez’s agenda seeks to prepare the ground for a more constructive relationship, with an emphasis on security and on defeating criminal organizations that, according to both nations, pose a transnational threat.
Tensions over the past year had shaped a complicated relationship: Trump’s public accusations against Petro and his questioning of Colombia’s strategy against illicit crops cast a shadow over the traditional cooperation between the two countries. In that context, and despite the fact that the phone call between the presidents was described as positive by the White House, Sanchez’s tour carries a significance greater than a simple exchange of diplomatic courtesies.
It represents, in some way, Colombia’s bet on maintaining and expanding channels of joint work with the United States in an area where, in one way or another, the interests of both converge.
Colombian Defense minister visits US to boost anti-drug cooperation
During his stay in Washington, Sanchez has scheduled a series of meetings with senior U.S. officials, including encounters with representatives of the Department of Defense, White House officials, and members of Congress linked to national security and intelligence issues, according to EFE news agency.
The agenda is designed to put on the table the progress and results achieved by Colombia in the fight against drug production and trafficking, as well as to map out a joint road map aimed at weakening criminal organizations that operate without recognizing borders.
A central part of those discussions is cooperation in intelligence, technology, and unmanned systems such as drones and counter-drone systems, tools that Colombia considers key to intensifying pressure on drug trafficking networks. The minister has noted that strengthening cooperation with the United States will allow both nations to be more forceful against the cartels, a goal that the Colombian government itself has reiterated despite the political frictions of recent months.
The tour is also seen as a direct prelude to President Petro’s trip to Washington, scheduled for the first week of February, where both governments hope to consolidate the agreements that Sanchez begins to outline. This step prepares the ground for a meeting that, in official discourse, is aimed not only at combating drug trafficking but also at reaffirming Colombia’s commitment to hemispheric security and to reducing cocaine flows to the United States.
“The importance of all this lies in further strengthening that international cooperation to defeat the cancer of drug trafficking,” the minister said in a video published on the MinDefensa account on X, which explains that the minister’s trip will go hand in hand with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
El ministro @PedroSanchezCol sostuvo una reunión virtual con @CancilleriaCol y el Subsecretario para Asuntos Hemisféricos del Departamento de Defensa, @jmhumire, con el apoyo de la Embajada, como preámbulo a la visita que realizará el presidente @PetroGustavo a ese país en la… pic.twitter.com/SIUJuZGqRu
— Mindefensa (@mindefensa) January 12, 2026
From tension to cooperation
The relationship between Bogota and Washington on security matters has not always been linear. Over the past year, there were moments of sharp disagreement, including aid cuts and critical statements that limited cooperation. Frictions intensified following military actions related to drug trafficking in the Caribbean and public accusations that eroded trust between the governments.
However, a phone call between Petro and Trump in early January marked a turning point — at least in the tone of the relationship — with a public gesture by the U.S. president inviting Petro to the White House.
That shift in the diplomatic climate has been interpreted by analysts as an attempt at moderation after a cycle of harsh statements and as a sign that both countries are aware of the importance of their security alliance.
Colombia, as one of the world’s leading cocaine producers, remains an indispensable player for any U.S. strategy to reduce the flow of drugs into its territory, and Washington needs active cooperation from Bogota to deploy effective actions on the ground.
For the Colombian government, moreover, Sanchez’s visit and Petro’s upcoming one are not merely diplomatic exercises, but an opportunity to reconfigure the relationship with Washington on more stable and pragmatic terms.
The declared intention of Colombian authorities is for the fight against drug trafficking to remain a common ground for cooperation, independent of the political nuances that may exist between the leaders of both countries.
As Sanchez’s tour of the United States moves forward, expectations are focused on how these meetings will lay the groundwork for a broader bilateral agenda that encompasses not only security but also other areas of mutual interest.
Colombia’s bet is clear: Strengthen ties and show concrete results in the fight against a scourge that Washington considers a direct threat, while consolidating a relationship that has historically been strategic for both countries.