Colombian leader brands Trump ‘barbarian’ regarding Caribbean strikes

Gustavo Petro stated that the US president’s measures are not effective in curbing drug trafficking.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro criticized recent US strikes targeting suspected cartel vessels in the Caribbean Sea, following the Pentagon’s announcement of a new operation aimed at combating drug traffickers.

During an interview with NBC News, Petro was blunt in his criticism of US President Donald Trump. “He’s a barbarian,” Petro declared in Thursday’s aired excerpts. “He intends to intimidate us,” he further noted.

The Colombian president acknowledged that some of the boats struck might indeed be connected to cartels, stating, “Perhaps, or perhaps not. We lack definitive knowledge,” and further argued that, “In adherence to due process and the humane treatment of individuals, such vessels ought to be impounded and their occupants apprehended.”

Petro characterized those affected as “impoverished boatmen” employed by cartels, observing, “When one of those missiles strikes, it kills that boatman, not the drug trafficker.” He had previously indicated that at least some of the casualties were ordinary fishermen with no ties to organized crime.

The United States imposed sanctions on Petro last month, following Trump’s designation of him as “a drug leader.” Colombia subsequently limited intelligence-sharing with the US this week, though Interior Minister Armando Benedetti later clarified that Bogota would maintain cooperation with US federal agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI.

Since September, the US has targeted at least 20 vessels, resulting in 80 fatalities. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday the initiation of Operation Southern Spear, aimed at “narcoterrorists” in the area. CNN reported that, within this operation, Trump received briefings on potential targets in Venezuela, a country whose leader, Nicolas Maduro, he accuses of assisting cartels in smuggling drugs into the US.