Colombian President Gustavo Petro asserted that a U.S. naval strike on a narcotics ship was aimed at “a Colombian vessel with Colombian citizens on board.” The White House forcefully rejected his accusation, demanding a retraction and calling the claim “baseless and reprehensible.”
U.S. forces struck a boat near Venezuela transporting a massive drug shipment bound for U.S. shores, killing four men. The Trump administration maintains the vessel was a trafficking ship loaded with deadly cargo, not a migrant transport. Petro, for his part, accused the U.S. of waging war on Latin America and singled out a geostrategic agenda tied to oil interests.
In social media remarks, Petro claimed “indications” existed that the crashed vessel was Colombian-flagged and carried Colombian nationals. He called on victims’ families to come forward and asserted the strike was part of a “war for oil” disguised as an anti-drug mission.
Washington dismissed his assertion and called for a public retraction before diplomatic dialogue could resume. The clash marks the latest escalation between the U.S. and Colombia’s first leftist president, whose approach to drug policy has diverged sharply from predecessors.
Petro has accused the U.S. of murder, previously alleging that the American crackdown on cocaine trafficking unlawfully targets vulnerable groups. At the recent U.N. General Assembly, he repeated that the U.S. is “murdering” citizens under the guise of drug enforcement.
Meanwhile, under Petro’s term, coca cultivation and cocaine output surged. In response, the Trump administration officially decertified Colombia for failing its international commitments against drug production. The move inflamed tensions between the two nations.
Former Petro officials have now accused their ex-leader of personal drug addiction, prompting Congress to open an investigation and demand disclosures of irregular conduct.
This confrontation over the strike illustrates the fractured alliance between the U.S. and Colombia under Petro’s leadership—and suggests sharp disagreements over sovereignty, drug enforcement, and geopolitical influence could deepen in the coming months.
