Presidents Gustavo Petro of Colombia and Donald Trump of the United States met on March 2, 2026, at the White House to discuss key issues like bilateral trade, border security, and the war on drugs. The two-hour session in the Oval Office eased prior tensions between the ideologically opposed leaders. Petro highlighted Trump's mediation in trade relations with Ecuador and potential energy deals with Venezuela.
The meeting between Presidents Gustavo Petro and Donald Trump took place on March 2, 2026, at the White House in Washington, marking the first bilateral encounter between the two leaders. The Colombian delegation included Ambassador Daniel García-Peña, Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia, and Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez, while the U.S. side featured Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, and Senator Bernie Moreno.
The agenda covered several pressing issues. On trade, they addressed the bilateral exchange worth nearly US$30 billion annually, as well as tensions with Ecuador stemming from a 30% tariff on Colombian imports. In an interview with Caracol Radio, Petro revealed that Trump will act as an intermediary with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa to improve these relations. "Trump will call Daniel Noboa to mediate relations between Colombia and Ecuador," Petro stated.
Other topics included border security with Venezuela, where intelligence and military collaboration was discussed to turn Catatumbo into an agroindustrial zone instead of coca cultivation. Both countries agreed to pursue ELN leaders in Venezuelan territory. They also explored an energy swap: Colombian crude and gas for Venezuelan clean energy.
In the war on drugs, Trump demanded curbing cocaine production, which hit records under Petro's government. Colombia extradited Andrés Felipe Marín Silva, alias Pipe Tuluá, hours before, accused of cocaine trafficking. Petro seeks to remove Colombia from the blacklist for non-cooperation on drugs and lift OFAC sanctions against him and his family; Trump said he is working on it.
Relations had soured since Trump's return in January 2025, with mutual accusations, tariff threats, and Petro's visa cancellation after a New York protest. Yet, Trump shifted his view of Petro from "sick" to "excellent." "A pact is not made between twins; it is made between people who disagree but can still find paths to human fraternity," Petro declared. Trump inscribed in his book 'The Art of the Deal': "You are great".
Experts like James Bosworth noted that Petro avoided public confrontations, akin to prior meetings with Zelensky or Ramaphosa. Andrés Rugeles stressed that Colombia must demonstrate concrete actions to fulfill agreements. Historically, there have been about 27 presidential meetings between the two countries since 2000, with Petro having visited Joe Biden in 2023.
