Colombian PresidentGustavo Petroand US PresidentDonald Trumpappeared to bury the hatchet on Tuesday after a year of sparring that culminated in threats by Trump to topple the left-wing leader as he did inVenezuela.
My impression of the meeting a few hours ago is first and foremost that it was positive, Petro told reporters after meeting Trump at the White House behind closed doors.
Trump said he got along very well with the leader whom he recently accused of pumping cocaine into the United States and had warned to watch his ass after the fall of VenezuelasNicolas Maduro.
He and I werent exactly the best of friends, but I wasnt insulted because I never met him. I didnt know him at all, and we got along very well, Trump said at the White House hours after the talks ended.
Trump said the two countries were working onanti-drug traffickingcooperation, as well as on lifting US sanctions the Republican had imposed on the South American country.
Fears in Bogota that Petro could be subjected to one of Trumps famously fiery televised Oval Office confrontations were dispelled when reporters were kept out.
Instead, it was Petro and his office who posted a series of pictures of the meeting.
You are great, Trump wrote to Petro as he signed a copy of his 1987 bookArt of the Deal, according to the photos.
Despite being worlds apart politically, the Colombian returned praise for the 79-year-old US leader.
The truth is I like straightforward Americans, people who say what they feel. Were different, undoubtedly, by a lot. But frankness comes first, he said.
The two leaders reclined in gold chairs in the Oval Office as they talked, accompanied by US Vice PresidentJD Vance, Secretary of StateMarco Rubioand senior Colombian officials, according to photos released by Petros office.
They also shared a warm handshake in the West Wing colonnade, next to portraits of formerUSpresidents that Trump recently installed, along with unflattering biographies of some of his recent predecessors.
Petro also said after the meeting that Trump had agreed to mediateColombias trade war withEcuador.
The South American neighbours have imposed import tariffs of 30 per cent on one another in a dispute over how to tackle drug trafficking also a major political issue for Trump.
Common goal
It was a far cry from the previous harsh rhetoric between a pair who come from absolute opposite ends of the political spectrum.
The Colombian had repeatedly defended Venezuelas leader Nicolas Maduro, a fellow left-winger, beforehis capture by US forceson January 3. He also criticised deadly US air strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats.
Trump, meanwhile, has been pressing Colombia to crack down on drug trafficking, threatening military strikes on its territory as he had against both Venezuela andMexico.
After the Maduro raid, an emboldened Trump stepped up his barbs, saying a Venezuela-style action against Petro sounds good to me.
But things turned a corner after an unexpectedly warm phone call on January 7.
I mean, hes been very nice over the last month or two, Trump said on Monday on the eve of the visit. He was certainly critical before that, but somehow, after the Venezuelan raid, he became very nice.
Petro said on X shortly before the meeting that during the talks he was determined to continue strengthening the relationship between two nations that share a common goal: the fight against drug trafficking.
In an apparent reference tostrikes on drug boatsin the Caribbean and Pacific that have killed more than 100 people, he added that he wanted to do so from an approach that prioritises life and peace in our territories.
In an olive branch to Trump hours before their talks, Petro extradited an accused drug lord to the United States after a months-long suspension of such transfers.
Colombia also abruptly agreed on Friday to accept USdeportation flightsreversing the very decision that triggered the falling-out between Trump and Petro last year.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Originally published on France24
