U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday (January 9, 2026) that he would meet with Colombian President Gustavo Petro in early February.

He also called on the Colombian leader to make quick progress on stemming the flow of cocaine into the U.S.

Since the U.S. military raid to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday (January 3), Mr. Trump had made vague threats to take similar action against Mr. Petro.

He, however, abruptly changed his tone on Wednesday (January 7) about his Colombian counterpart after a friendly phone call in which he invited Mr. Petro to visit the White House.

Colombia will continue ‍to work with the United States to fight ​drug trafficking using Washington’s intelligence and technology, ‌the South American nation said ​on Monday (January 5, 2025).

“The government of Colombia has let the U.S. government know … that we are going to keep coordinating and cooperating in the fight against drug trafficking,” Interior Minister Armando Benedetti said in a ​video with Justice Minister Andres ⁠Idarraga sent to journalists by the government.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday (January 4) called his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro “sick” ​and said ⁠a U.S. military operation in the country was possible.

Over the weekend, U.S. troops entered Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro, who ‌on Monday (January 5) pleaded not guilty ‌in a New York court to narco-terrorism charges.

Mr. Benedetti said that Colombia’s anti-drug ‍operations would target drug laboratories, criminal organisations and their camps.

“We will continue to emphasize ‍the fight against this scourge, particularly on the Colombian-Venezuelan border,” Mr. Idarraga said.

Colombia has criticized Trump’s Sunday (January 4) comments and said any potential U.S. incursion would be “undue interference.”

Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said there was a “golden opportunity” to strengthen international collaboration against drug trafficking.

The U.S. ⁠is pressuring Colombia to ramp up its fight against drug trafficking as ​cultivation of the coca leaf, the raw material ⁠used to make cocaine, has jumped in recent years.

Mr. Petro’s government maintains that it has seized unprecedented levels of cocaine including nearly 1,000 metric tons ⁠in 2025.