Colombian President Gustavo Petro says the pressure tactics of the United States government led by Donald Trump against Venezuela and its President Nicolás Maduro do not stem from concerns about drug trafficking or democracy, but rather from the South American country’s vast oil reserves.
Notably, the US military has increased activity in the Caribbean and Pacific, claiming to fight drugs flowing into the US from South America.
In an interview with CNN, Petro accused the US of imperialist behavior and added that he believes the actions against Venezuela are in an effort to capture the country’s oil reserves, which are believed to be the largest in the world.
The report said the US State Department and the White House had been reached for comment.
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What did Gustavo Petro of Colombia say?
In an interview with CNN, Petro said that Venezuela is not considered a major drug producer and that a relatively small portion of the global drug trade flows through the country. “(Oil) is at the heart of the matter. So, that’s the oil negotiation. I believe that’s (US President Donald) Trump’s logic. He’s not thinking about democratizing Venezuela, let alone narcotics trafficking,” he told CNN.
On November 25, Petro also accused the US of imperialist actions, claiming that it was trying to “impose its will on its neighbors”, adding: “The United States cannot be considered an empire, but one of the nations among others.
As for his message to the American people, the South American leader said he wanted to convey the same message that members of the US special forces received: “Your function, as they say in their oaths, is to fight oppression.
Recalling his speech at the end of the UN General Assembly in September, where he called on US troops to disobey Trump and “point their rifles at humanity”, Petro told CNN that the move cost him – his visa was revoked.
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Petro says Trump doesn’t recognize his victories because of pride
Donald Trump and Gustavo Petro have clashed at many points since the US president took office. In October, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Peter for his alleged “role in the global illegal drug trade.” This is something the Colombian leader has rejected.
In an interview with CNN on the matter, he said he had tried to address the drug trade and his administration had seized more cocaine than previous administrations, adding when asked that Trump did not acknowledge his success in increasing the country’s agricultural production because of “pride.”
“In recent years, I’ve been able to make sure that the growth of the crop, which is stagnant, is much higher than the growth of seizures. (Trump didn’t admit it) because of pride. Because he thinks I’m a subversive thug, a terrorist and things like that, simply because I was a member of M-19,” Petro told CNN. M-19 is a Colombian guerrilla movement active in the 1970s and 1980s.
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About the soccer cleats trade – USA, Venezuela and Colombia…
Petro also told CNN that he feels Trump is comparing him to Nicolás Maduro, adding that while he believes the Venezuelan president has a problem with democracy, he is not convinced of his drug ties.
“Maduro’s problem is called democracy… the lack of democracy. No Colombian investigation… has shown us a relationship between the Colombian drug trade and Maduro,” he said.
Notably, this comes a day after the US designated the alleged Cartel de los Soles drug-trafficking group as a foreign terrorist organization, which it says is led by Maduro. Venezuela has denied the claims, and experts believe the group is the work of corrupt officials rather than organized crime.
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Are US-Colombia relations deteriorating?
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Venezuela is not a major producer of cocaine. In fact, of the 3,700 tons of global coca production, Colombia produces more than 2,500 tons and is traded on the North Pacific coast.
In a report released in March, the US Drug Enforcement Agency also concluded that 84% of the cocaine seized in the US comes from Colombia.
Petro acknowledged the allegations but said ties between drug traffickers and officials existed before he took office, CNN reported. This comes after Colombian news program Noticias Caracol reported last weekend on alleged links between Colombian officials and dissidents from the now-defunct FARC rebel group.
Historically, the US and Colombia have been allies. In 2022, the Joe Biden administration named it a “major non-NATO ally,” and despite tensions between Trump and Peter, relations remain intact.
In a previous statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US problems were about Petro, and not the Colombian people, economy, politics or institutions. “Our relationship with the Colombian people, the economic sector of Colombia, most of the people in politics in Colombia and their institutions, especially their defense institutions, is strong and enduring and will be strong and enduring long after this individual is no longer president there,” Rubio said.
Key things
- American pressure on Venezuela is primarily motivated by its oil reserves, Colombian President Gustavo Petro believes.
- Petro disputed the Trump administration’s claim that Venezuela is a major drug-trafficking problem.
- US-Colombia relations have historically been close, but tensions between Trump and Petro have increasingly surfaced.
