What to Expect After Tensions

Petro called Trump “complicit in genocide” in the Gaza Strip, while the US president called him a “drug lord”; These insults escalated with US sanctions against Petro, reciprocal threats of tariffs, withdrawal of financial aid to Colombia, and even suggested military strikes.

Tensions eased in early January when Trump accepted Petro’s call and said it was “a great honor” to speak with Colombia’s president, who had called him to “explain the drug situation and other disputes.”

The two leaders are expected to meet Tuesday to discuss strategies to stop drug trafficking and increase bilateral trade, and potentially discuss joint operations against Colombian rebel groups fueled by the cocaine trade.

“There’s a lot of room here for mutual cooperation and shared success,” said Elizabeth Dickinson, a Colombia expert at the International Crisis Group.

Fighting drug trafficking

Decades of security cooperation once made Colombia the United States’ main ally in the region, but that relationship has recently faced unprecedented tension.

The two countries have opposing views on how to solve the illegal drug problem. While the US remains committed to aggressive eradication and supply-side control, Petro advocates prohibition, reducing demand and providing economic alternatives for small-scale coca farmers.

In 2025, the United States signaled its displeasure with Petro’s anti-drug policy by adding Colombia to the list of countries that have failed to cooperate in the drug war for the first time in three decades.

Since then, Petro has focused on highlighting record seizures and claiming his government has succeeded in halting the growth of coca leaf crops. But Colombia’s coca crop has reached historic highs as the government moves away from eradication. According to a United Nations study, potential cocaine production increased by at least 65 percent during Petro’s administration, to more than 3,000 tonnes per year.

Venezuela factor

The sudden détente between the Petro and Trump came after a period of extreme fluctuations.

Tension came to a head after the US raid in Caracas on January 3, in which then-President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured. Petro condemned the operation as an act of “aggression” and “hijacking” and accused the United States of what he described as a “disgusting” violation of Latin American sovereignty and a “death spectacle” comparable to Nazi Germany’s 1937 carpet bombing of Guernica, Spain.

Although he recently called for Maduro to return to face justice in Venezuela, Petro’s tone softened significantly during the hour-long call with Trump, paving the way for the upcoming summit.

Gimena Sanchez-Garzoli, director for the Andes region at the Washington Office on Latin America, a think tank, believes Trump agreed to Petro’s call in part to address questions about the operation in Venezuela and growing concerns about warnings to countries such as Colombia.

He also said he thought both presidents would agree on actions against drug trafficking and the joint fight against the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group, which is most active on the Venezuelan border.

Quiet and effective collaboration

Signaling a thaw in relations a few days before the White House summit, Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday that repatriation flights for those deported from the United States have officially resumed.

In the images published by the ministry, citizens arriving at El Dorado airport were seen; This was in stark contrast to the diplomatic crisis a year earlier. At the time, Petro rejected U.S. military deportation flights over “dignity” concerns, triggering an imminent trade war; However, this was softened after Trump threatened 50 percent tariffs and visa cancellations.

“A good outcome (of the meeting) would be for the relationship to be cordial and pragmatic, and for the two countries to return to what they have been doing for years, which is quiet and effective cooperation on common security threats,” Dickinson said. he said.

“The less noise in the relationship, the better.”