“ The United States introduced personal sanctions against Colombian President Gustavo Petro and his closest entourage. The administration of Donald Trump accused the long-time ally of Washington of refusing to stop the flow of cocaine to the United States, and Trump himself called Petro “the leader of the illegal drug trade.” Source: Reuters Details: On Friday, the US Treasury announced the introduction of sanctions against Colombia’s president, his wife, son and Interior Minister Armando Benedetti. This extraordinary step put Petro on a par with the leaders of Russia, Venezuela and North Korea. “Since President Gustavo Petro came to power, cocaine production in Colombia has increased to the highest level in decades, flooding the United States and poisoning Americans,” said US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. According to him, President Petro “allowed drug cartels to flourish” and that Trump “is taking decisive measures to protect our country.” The President of Colombia himself called the sanctions against him a paradox. “Decades of effective fight against drug trafficking have brought me this result from the government of the same society that we helped to stop the use of cocaine. This is a complete paradox, but we will not take a step back and will never kneel down,” he wrote on the X social network. In turn, Benedetti said that he was punished only for publicly denying Petro’s involvement in drug trafficking. He called the sanctions against him proof that America’s war on drugs is a “fiction.” The US State Department said in a separate statement that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would not recognize Colombia’s anti-drug efforts, a formal move that could lead to further restrictions. Meanwhile, Colombia’s government has denied the allegations, saying the Petro administration has seized more cocaine than previous governments and that the pace of coca expansion is slowing each year. Foreign policy experts warn of the dangers of such an approach. Brett Bruen, a former adviser in the administration of Barack Obama, called Trump’s actions “cowboy performances” that “create a very explosive environment that we will soon have to deal with on our doorstep.” Background: In September, the United States revoked the visa of Colombian President Gustavo Petro after he participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York, during which he called on the US military not to follow President Donald Trump’s orders. In addition, tensions increased due to Colombia’s refusal to accept planes carrying deported migrants from the United States. On October 19, Trump publicly called Petro “the leader of the illegal drug trade” and threatened to raise tariffs and end financial support to Colombia.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Gustavo Petro. Photo: Getty Images Source: Reuters
Details: On Friday, the US Department of the Treasury announced the introduction of sanctions against the President of Colombia, his wife, son and Interior Minister Armando Benedetti. This extraordinary step put Petro on a par with the leaders of Russia, Venezuela and North Korea.
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“Since President Gustavo Petro came to power, cocaine production in Colombia has increased to the highest level in decades, flooding the United States and poisoning Americans,” said US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
According to him, President Petro “allowed drug cartels to flourish” and that Trump “is taking decisive measures to protect our country.”
The President of Colombia himself called the sanctions against him a paradox.
“Decades of effective fight against drug trafficking brought me such a result from the government of the same society that we helped to stop the use of cocaine. It is a complete paradox, but we will not retreat a single step and will never kneel down,” he wrote on X’s social network.
In turn, Benedetti stated that he was punished only for publicly denying Petro’s involvement in drug trafficking.
He called the sanctions against him proof that America’s war on drugs is a “fiction.”
The US State Department said in a separate statement that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would not recognize Colombia’s anti-drug efforts, a formal move that could lead to further restrictions.
Meanwhile, Colombia’s government has denied the allegations, saying the Petro administration has seized more cocaine than previous governments and that the pace of coca expansion is slowing each year.
Foreign policy experts warn of the dangers of such an approach. Brett Bruen, a former adviser in the administration of Barack Obama, called Trump’s actions “cowboy performances” that “create a very explosive environment that we will soon have to deal with on our doorstep.”
Prehistory:
- In September, the United States revoked the visa of Colombian President Gustavo Petro after he participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York, during which he called on the US military not to follow President Donald Trump’s orders.
- In addition, tensions increased due to Colombia’s refusal to accept planes with deported migrants from the USA.
- On October 19, Trump publicly named Petra “the leader of the illegal drug trade” and threatened to raise tariffs and stop financial support for Colombia.