Colombian President Gustavo Petro has issued a stark warning that continued American pressure on Latin American leaders who oppose Washington could trigger a regional uprising against US influence, according to remarks published Saturday in Spanish newspaper El Pais.
The 65-year-old leader, who previously belonged to the leftist M-19 guerrilla movement, has repeatedly found himself at odds with President Donald Trump’s administration, which added him to a Treasury Department sanctions list over alleged connections to international drug trafficking.
Speaking from Barcelona where he attended a summit with leaders from Spain, Brazil and Mexico, Petro accused the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control of wielding sanctions as a political weapon to pressure leaders who hold opposing viewpoints.
“It’s a system like the one the Spanish king had a few centuries ago. And what was Latin America’s response? Rebellion. That’s what will happen now if the U.S. government isn’t capable of rethinking its ties to Latin America,” Petro stated during the interview.
The Colombian president cited the January US military operation targeting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas as an example of American actions that have created anxiety among regional leaders.
Despite these tensions, Petro described his direct relationship with Trump as positive, noting they had communicated twice in recent weeks and dispelled misconceptions about one another. He emphasized that he approached their meetings as an equal rather than coming to Washington to plead for favors.
Petro, who won election in 2022, will step down from office in August due to Colombia’s constitutional prohibition on consecutive presidential terms.
