Gustavo Petro Rebukes Maduro's Appeal to Colombian Forces Amid U.S. Pressure, Says He 'Has No Right to Give Orders to the Military'

Colombian President Gustavo Petro rejected an appeal by Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro for Colombia's military to join forces with the neighboring country, saying Maduro "has no right to give orders to the military" as U.S. pressure on Caracas intensifies in the Caribbean.

Petro's comments came after Maduro, speaking this week on state television, called on Colombian soldiers to join what he described as a shared defense of sovereignty against external threats. "I call on the people of Colombia, its social movements, its political forces, its military, to a perfect union with Venezuela so no one dares to touch our sovereignty," Maduro said during a nationally broadcast address.

Responding on Thursday, Petro drew a clear line between political rhetoric and military authority. "He has no right to give orders to the military," the Colombian leader said, adding that "while that does not happen, no one can give orders to the other army." Petro argued that any future unity among Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama could only come through "constituent power and popular sovereignty."

Petro also said the only armed group operating binationally between Colombia and Venezuela was the National Liberation Army (ELN), which he described as an enemy of the region due to its involvement in drug trafficking and violence against civilians.

Petro also used the interview to clarify his position on Venezuela's internal politics, repeating comments he made earlier in the week in which he referred to Maduro as a dictator for the first time. "I do not support a dictatorship," he said. "I support a negotiated and peaceful political solution exclusively among the forces of Venezuela and its people, because I believe in popular sovereignty." He also ruled out backing a U.S. military intervention.

Despite Petro's remarks, Maduro doubled down on his message later on Thursday, reiterating his call for Colombian troops to unite with Venezuela's armed forces "as a single army" to defend peace, amid U.S. military deployments in the Caribbean. He also accused Washington of seeking regime change, saying recent actions—including the seizure of an oil tanker near Venezuela's coast—were part of a broader effort to undermine his government.