Colombian President Gustavo Petro arrived in Washington last night for a momentous meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday. The arrival took place amid an atmosphere of intense political attention, following months of tensions and disagreements that have put the bilateral relationship between Bogotá and Washington under strain.
The agenda that the Colombian president is beginning during his four-day stay on U.S. soil is focused on seeking agreements that would allow past frictions to be overcome and on redefining a strategic partnership with the United States, particularly in the areas of security and cooperation.
The official delegation included several of the Colombian government’s top officials, including the foreign minister and other representatives from portfolios linked to security, trade, and international policy. The presence of this working group reflects the importance that the Bogotá administration attaches to the meeting at the White House, an encounter that will shape relations with the United States in the final stretch of Petro’s term.
Colombia’s Petro arrives in Washington ahead of pivotal meeting with Trump
The arrival shortly after midnight of the Colombian president in the United States marks the start of a four-day agenda centered on his meeting tomorrow with President Trump at the White House, the result of a diplomatic effort to mend a bilateral relationship that has gone through one of its most difficult periods in recent years.
Since early 2025, with Trump’s return to the presidency, several public episodes and policy decisions have sown distrust between the two governments, including disputes over migration policies and approaches to the fight against drug trafficking. The most notable clash occurred when the Colombian president rejected the entry of flights carrying migrants deported from the United States last year in January, denouncing the “undignified” treatment of his fellow citizens, a move that nearly triggered a trade crisis between the two countries.
Since then, communications have been marked by harsh statements and mutual accusations that have escalated tensions and polarized the public conversation. Relations, however, deteriorated further as the year progressed, reaching their lowest point in September, when the White House decertified Colombia in its fight against drug trafficking and, shortly afterward, revoked President Petro’s visa following his controversial appearance on the streets of New York, where he went so far as to call on that country’s armed forces to disobey their president.
At the beginning of this year, following the fall of Nicolas Maduro, both leaders took a first step toward easing tensions through a phone call that opened the possibility of a face-to-face meeting in Washington. That prior dialogue, described by analysts as necessary to halt the dynamic of confrontation, ultimately finalized this week’s agenda.
Shortly before leaving Colombia, Gustavo Petro posted a troubling message on his social media accounts. “I am beginning my period of intense communication with the U.S. government with my interview with the U.S. business representative in Colombia, McNamara. Before this meeting I visited my mother to say goodbye,” he wrote on his account on the social network X.
The Colombian president’s message ended with a call in favor of a popular demonstration in Bogotá on the same day as his meeting with Donald Trump, to show social support for the government. “May Tuesday, if it does not rain, see Plaza de Bolívar filled to defend democracy, a living wage, and peace in Colombia while I meet with Trump. May Plaza de Bolívar in Bogotá and public squares across the country be filled with affection, culture, and love,” he concluded.
Empiezo mi jornada de comunicación intensa con el gobierno de los EEUU, con mi entrevista con el representante de negocios de los EEUU en Colombia McNamara.
Antes de esta reunión he visitado a mi mamá para despedirme.
Les dejo la foto de mi mamá antes de casarse y de su amor… pic.twitter.com/7GmkV0hVwd
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) February 1, 2026
Critical issues on the agenda
The fight against drug trafficking and organized crime is shaping up as one of the central issues of the bilateral meeting. Both countries face internal and external pressures related to drug flows and the associated violence, albeit with different approaches and priorities.
The Colombian government has insisted on presenting the results and strategies of its anti-drug policy, as well as on raising the need to rethink traditional methods of cooperation. Washington, for its part, maintains a firm stance on the need for more forceful and verifiable measures to address the increase in coca cultivation and the production of narcotics, which in recent years have reached record levels.
Beyond security, cooperation in trade and economic development is also among the issues that both delegations expect to address, in a context in which the United States represents one of the main destinations for Colombia’s exportable production. The expectation among Colombian business leaders and productive sectors is that the meeting will make it possible to move toward an understanding that encourages foreign investment and reduces the uncertainty stemming from recent diplomatic tensions.
Petro’s visit to Washington includes other relevant diplomatic activities, among them meetings at multilateral organizations and encounters with representatives of civil society and the Colombian diaspora in the United States. These forums are seen by the Colombian government as opportunities to strengthen cultural and political ties with different sectors, as well as to signal openness to a broader dialogue with key actors in international politics.
International attention is focused on the outcome of tomorrow’s meeting, not only because of its impact on the relationship between Colombia and the United States, but also for what it could mean for Bogotá’s regional position on issues such as hemispheric security, migration, and multilateral cooperation. Different analysts have noted that this face-to-face meeting could define not only immediate steps in bilateral cooperation but also President Petro’s international agenda during his term.
Related: Colombia Hired a US Firm to Arrange the Petro–Trump Meeting.