【Wen/Observer Net Lin Chenli】According to the American political news website Politico, on December 10th local time, US President Trump escalated his threats against Colombia, declaring that after Venezuelan President Maduro, Colombian President Petro would become the "next target" of the US "drug war" action.

During the interview that day, Trump initially said, "I actually haven't thought much about Petro," but shortly after, his remarks quickly shifted to a military threat against Petro.

"Colombia is producing a lot of drugs," Trump said, "so he had better be smart, or he will become the next target, and it will be him soon. I hope he is listening, he is going to be the next one."

The report pointed out that this statement marked a significant escalation in Trump's threats against Petro. Earlier this week, Trump had proposed expanding the scope of his "anti-drug military operations" from the current focus on Venezuela to Mexico and Colombia.

On the 10th, President Trump also stated that the US military had detained a tanker near the coast of Venezuela that day. When asked about how the oil on the tanker would be handled, he replied, "I think we will keep it."

Later that evening, US Attorney General Barr stated that, with the support of the Department of Defense, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Coast Guard executed an arrest warrant for a tanker transporting "sanctioned crude oil" from Venezuela and Iran.

It is reported that the ship was called "Skipper," a very large crude carrier (VLCC) flying the flag of Guyana, carrying about 1.1 million barrels of heavy crude oil from Venezuela's Maracaibo region. The ship seemed to have been planned to go to Cuba, but after completing the cargo loading, it was detained by the US military near the coast of Venezuela.

Over the past few months, the Trump administration has continuously increased its military presence in the Caribbean Sea under the pretext of "fighting drug trafficking," and has massed military forces near the coast of Venezuela, attempting to pressure Maduro to step down. The Venezuelan side has repeatedly denied these allegations, and the Maduro government has accused the United States of intending to overthrow the Venezuelan regime and expand militarily in Latin America.

Since early September, the US military has launched at least 22 air strikes on ships suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in 84 deaths. However, up to now, Trump has not provided any evidence proving that the targets were involved in drug trafficking.

Colombian President Petro IC photo

On December 2nd local time, Trump claimed in a cabinet meeting that any country producing drugs could become a target of the US attack. He specifically named Colombia, saying he "heard" that Colombia was "producing cocaine."

In response to Trump's statements, Petro responded on the social media platform X on the 3rd: "Mr. Trump, I invite you to come to Colombia and see how we destroy nine drug production sites every day to prevent cocaine from flowing into the United States. The Colombian government has destroyed 18,400 sites, follow me, I will show you how they are destroyed."

Petro emphasized that the Colombian government has prevented thousands of tons of cocaine from flowing into the United States. He warned Trump: "Don't violate our sovereignty, otherwise you will awaken the jaguar. Attacking our sovereignty is a declaration of war, please don't destroy the two-century-long diplomatic relationship between the two countries."

Since Trump's re-election in January, relations between the US and Colombia have remained tense, with frequent friction on issues such as immigration, tariffs, drug control, and the Gaza War. As the US pushes forward its aggressive anti-drug operations in the region, tensions between Trump and Petro continue to escalate.

In January this year, Petro strongly refused to accept the plane that would return Colombian immigrants to the US, citing "inhumane conditions." In response, Trump imposed a high tariff of 25% on Colombia and threatened to double it. Petro then also imposed tariffs on US goods and accused Trump of trying to "dominate Colombia."

On the afternoon of September 15th, the Trump administration revoked Colombia's "anti-drug cooperation country" certification status. In response, Colombia announced that it would no longer purchase weapons from the United States. On September 26th, Petro participated in a demonstration in support of Palestine outside the UN headquarters in New York. The US State Department revoked his visa on the same day, accusing him of "inciting violence."

On October 3rd local time, Petro accused the US of "murder," claiming that the US opened fire on a "poor family" ship near Venezuela instead of a rebel organization's ship, and caused the death of a Colombian fisherman in his country's waters. Petro strongly condemned the large-scale military buildup by the US in the Caribbean Sea, stating that this was merely an action under the guise of "fighting drug trafficking," aimed at forcing a change of regime in Venezuela.

On October 19th local time, Trump claimed on social media that Petro was an "illegal drug lord," accusing him of "not preventing drugs from flowing into the US," and announced that the US would stop providing aid and subsidies to Colombia.

That same day, Petro responded, saying, "Mr. Trump, Colombia has never been rude to the US, on the contrary, we have always greatly appreciated American culture. But you are rude and ignorant toward Colombia. I suggest you read 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' like the acting US ambassador to Colombia. I guarantee you will learn some knowledge about solitude."

On October 24th local time, the Trump administration added Petro, his wife, son, and Colombian Interior Minister Benedetti to the sanctions list, freezing any assets held by those sanctioned in the US and generally prohibiting Americans from conducting transactions with them.

Petro responded with a post, saying, "For decades, we have been effectively fighting drug trafficking, yet we have had to face this sanction from the government of that society, which is exactly where we have helped prevent their cocaine consumption. It's a complete paradox - but we have not retreated a step, nor have we ever yielded."

At the age of 65, Petro was once a left-wing guerrilla fighter, later became a senator, and was elected president of Colombia in 2022, starting his four-year term. In May 2026, Colombia will hold the next presidential election.

The Los Angeles Times reported that for decades, Colombia and the US have been faithful allies, sharing military intelligence, maintaining close trade relations, and investing billions of dollars in the fight against drug trafficking. Now, with the US increasing air strikes near the coast of Colombia, the两国 leaders' verbal sparring has put everything in crisis.

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7582428937721086498/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.