US Imposes Sanctions on Colombia’s President, a Critic of Trump

Darwin, 25 October-

The United States Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, his wife, and their son. Petro is known as a staunch critic of US President Donald Trump. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant confirmed the sanctions in a statement on Friday.

In the statement, Secretary Bessant described President Petro as a “patron of drug traffickers” and said:
“Since President Gustavo Petro took office, cocaine production in Colombia has surged. The amount of cocaine being produced in Colombia since 2022 is higher than it has been in decades. This massive flow of cocaine is flooding into the United States, endangering American lives.”

“Instead of cracking down on cocaine producers and traffickers, President Petro is allegedly supporting them. Since our President Donald Trump is committed to protecting the nation from the scourge of drugs, we are taking this strong action by imposing sanctions on Colombia’s president. We will not tolerate drug trafficking into the United States.”

In response to the sanctions, Petro claimed that the Treasury Department’s statement was false. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Colombian president said:
“What the US Treasury is saying is untrue. Under my leadership, cocaine production has not increased, but decreased. The quantity of cocaine seized during our administration is unprecedented in world history.”

Every year, large amounts of drugs are trafficked from Central and South American countries into the United States, primarily via maritime routes. Over the past two months, the US Navy conducted operations at sea, destroying 10 vessels suspected of drug trafficking, resulting in at least 43 deaths.

Not all of the destroyed vessels were directly involved in drug trafficking. President Petro had previously urged Trump to halt attacks on boats, but the US president rejected the request and referred to the Colombian president as a “thug” and “drug trafficker.”

The conflict between Trump and Gustavo Petro began after Trump assumed office in January 2025 over various issues. Petro was scheduled to attend last month’s United Nations General Assembly session in New York, but he was unable to travel due to the US denying him a visa. The primary reason for the visa denial was Petro’s strong stance in support of Palestine and against Israeli military actions in Gaza, as well as his participation in US pro-Palestinian movements.

Last week, Trump announced the suspension of US aid to Colombia and warned of potential high tariffs on the country.

At the end of his response posted on X, Petro included a slogan of Latin America’s leftist revolutionary movements:
“We will not take a single step back, nor will we ever kneel.”