Colombian President Gustavo Petro arrived in Washington on February 2 for a meeting with his US counterpart Donald Trump, scheduled for February 3 at the White House. The meeting aims to strengthen bilateral relations and advance efforts against narcotrafficking, amid an optimistic atmosphere voiced by Colombian officials. Trump has indicated the encounter will be positive and that Petro has shifted his attitude following Nicolás Maduro's arrest in Venezuela.
President Gustavo Petro landed in Washington D.C. at 12:30 a.m. on February 2, 2026, starting an official agenda that will run until February 5. Accompanied by Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio and Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez, Petro aims to reorder diplomatic relations with the United States and establish agreements on narcotrafficking during his meeting with Donald Trump at the White House on February 3.
From the Oval Office, Trump stated that "the meeting with the president of Colombia will be good" and noted that Petro has altered his previous "hostile" attitude, influenced by Nicolás Maduro's arrest in Venezuela. Before departing, Petro emphasized: "We have many reasons to achieve a pact for life in all the Americas, in the world, and hopefully within Colombia."
In a coordination meeting on February 2 at Ambassador Daniel García-Peña's residence, Colombian officials expressed optimism. Foreign Minister Villavicencio described the atmosphere as "very positive," anticipating advances in social, diplomatic, and economic areas. García-Peña highlighted the 204 years of bilateral relations and the preparations since the January 7 call, under clear instructions from both leaders.
Defense Minister Sánchez presented security achievements: coca crop growth has been halted, with a downward trend; over 3,000 tons of cocaine and base paste have been seized, equivalent to US$90 billion and 48 billion doses. A laboratory is destroyed every 40 minutes, and 11,000 troops were deployed on the Ecuador border, destroying 40 infrastructures in Nariño this month.
In addition to the Trump meeting, Petro will deliver a lecture at Georgetown University on climate change, meet with the OAS Secretary General, US congressmen, and cocoa sector associations.
