Petro and Trump, on the brink of disaster: Attacking our sovereignty is declaring war'

"I hear Colombia, the country of Colombia, is making cocaine. They have cocaine manufacturing plants, OK, and then they sell us their cocaine Anybody that's doing that and selling it into our country is subject to attack, the Republican leader said Tuesday in a conversation with the press, after concluding his last Cabinet meeting of 2025. Attacking our sovereignty is declaring war;"

"The exchange marks a new point of high tension in an increasingly deteriorating bilateral relationship. Trump's offensive in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, where the world's leading cocaine producer has coastlines, has already resulted in over 80 deaths. Although Operation Southern Spear has ceased its military attacks against boats accused of transporting drugs, the Trump administration has attributed this to its own success and indicated that this intensified war on drugs will now enter a new phase."

U.S. President Donald Trump publicly singled out Colombia as a potential target for strikes to curb cocaine trafficking, claiming cocaine manufacturing plants sell drugs into the United States. Colombian President Gustavo Petro responded by warning against attacks on sovereignty, inviting verification of cocaine-lab destruction and cautioning that aggression would 'awaken the jaguar.' Operation Southern Spear's maritime offensive previously led to over 80 deaths and, although naval attacks have paused, the U.S. administration described that pause as success while signaling escalation to land operations. The exchange heightens diplomatic strain and showcases an interventionist U.S. stance toward Latin America, even toward democratic governments.

Read at english.elpais.com