Colombian President Gustavo Petro claimed that the U.S. will invade Venezuela following a report about President Donald Trump ending all diplomatic outreach to the South American country.
"The negotiation should not have revolved around free oil. It should have revolved around, like Biden said but lacked audacity, around free elections, a political agreement among Venezuelans and the end of the blockage. Now we're headed to an invasion based on lies," Petro said in a social media publication.
La negociación diplomática secreta no debió girar alrededor de petróleo regalado.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 7, 2025
Debió girar como la propuso Biden pero le falto audacia, es con elecciones libres, Pacto político entre los venezolanos, y desbloqueo total..Ahora vamos a una invasión construida con mentiras pic.twitter.com/fgxHrT0nfM
Petro was citing a report by The New York Times claiming that Trump ended all diplomatic outreach, instructing envoy Richard Grenell to cease all efforts as he grows frustrated with authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro's reluctance to relinquish power.
Trump is also frustrated that Maduro keeps rejecting any ties with drug cartels, the outlet added. Officials told the outlet that the administration has drawn up multiple military plans for an eventual escalation.
So far, the U.S. military has conducted at least four strikes on vessels it claimed were trafficking drugs that would ultimately end up in the U.S. However, some of the new plans could also seek the ousting of Maduro, the outlet added.
Petro fiercely criticizes the Trump administration on social media, most recently slamming U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the latest strike.
In another social media publication, Petro responded to Hegseth's announcement of the strike, in which he claimed the U.S. had directed a "lethal, kinetic strike on a narco-trafficking vessel."
"No, Mr. War Secretary, the young men who are on those boats are not narco-terrorists, they are poor young men from the Caribbean islands trying to survive. By bombing them with missiles like in Gaza, you are murdering the Caribbean people," Petro said.
He went on to claim that what the Trump administration really wants is "Venezuela and Guyana's oil, that's it."
"The use of anti-economic and murderous missiles has another goal. You want to harass us to get the oil for free," Petro added.
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