Colombian President Petro Slams Trump Over Sanctions: 'Profoundly Rude And An Insult To The Nation'

Colombian President Gustavo Petro again slammed U.S. counterpart Donald Trump over the sanctions against him and his family, saying on Wednesday they are "not only profoundly rude, but an insult to the Colombian nation, a humiliation."

"Advised by (Secretary of State Marco) Rubio and Rubio advised by his team in Florida, which received Colombian politicians who have familiar and personal ties with the cocaine mafia, have left an indelible mark, which, like the theft of Panama, will never be forgotten by the next generations of Colombians and Latin Americans," Petro said in a social media publication.

Petro was sanctioned in October, with the Department of the Treasury alleging he allowed narco-terrorist organizations to thrive under the framework of his "total peace" plan, which the U.S. says has contributed to increased cocaine production in Colombia. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent added that Petro had also "failed demonstrably" to halt the flow of cocaine into the United States.

The Treasury also sanctioned first lady Verónica Alcocer, his son Nicolás Petro, and Interior Minister Armando Benedetti.

Petro has called the sanctions "a complete paradox" and said he had already retained legal counsel in the United States.

"Fighting drug trafficking effectively for decades has brought me this action from the government of the society we have worked so hard to protect from cocaine consumption. A complete paradox. Not a single step back and never on our knees," Petro wrote.

He also pushed back on Bessent's claims that he was an ally and protector of drug cartels, calling the Treasury Department's assertions false.

Petro noted that during Colombia's previous administration under Iván Duque, coca cultivation reached 230,000 hectares, but since 2022, the annual growth rate of the crop has been declining.

"Of the 260,000 hectares reported in 2024, 80,000 have been abandoned for more than three years, and 22,000 have been voluntarily replaced by farmers. Under my government, cocaine production has not surged; on the contrary, my administration has seized more cocaine than at any other point in history," he said.

"What the U.S. Treasury is doing is an arbitrary action typical of an oppressive regime," Petro added.

Alcocer, Nicolás Petro and Benedetti were sanctioned under authorities that allow Washington to target individuals it accuses of involvement in the global illicit drug trade, as reported by Reuters.

The measures freeze any U.S. assets held by the three and generally prevent Americans from conducting business with them.