First Trump-Petro meeting set after Venezuelan fallout
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to host Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the White House on Tuesday, February 3, marking their first in-person meeting after months of strained and often public disputes, reports a Qazinform News Agency correspondent.
The talks will also be Trump’s first meeting with a South American leader since the United States captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro last month, an operation that sharply divided Washington and Bogotá.
Discussions are expected to cover Venezuela’s border with Colombia, energy and oil cooperation, and guarantees related to Colombia’s upcoming presidential elections. Trump confirmed that narcotics control would be a key topic, telling reporters that “tremendous amounts of drugs come out of his country.”
Despite past hostility, Trump said he expects the meeting to be “good,” noting that Petro “has been very nice over the last month or two,” adding, “after the Venezuelan raid, he became very nice. He changed his attitude very much.”
Petro previously condemned Maduro’s capture as a violation of regional sovereignty and described it as a kidnapping, triggering sharp rhetoric from Trump and sparking anti-American protests across Colombia.
Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio said Bogotá feels “positive” ahead of the talks, although some former officials have voiced concern over both leaders’ volatile styles.
The meeting follows a late January phone call between Trump and Petro, facilitated by U.S. Senator Rand Paul, which paved the way for the White House invitation.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the United States and India had reached a new trade agreement following a phone conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
