Colombian President Gustavo Petro rejected the threats of U.S. President Donald Trump and the accusations that he is linked to drug trafficking, after Trump threatened Colombia with military action modeled on the recent U.S. attack on Venezuela.
On Sunday, Trump said that Colombia is “run by a sick man who likes to produce cocaine and sell it to the United States,” adding that this “will not last much longer.” He also warned that Colombia could become a new target of U.S. military action in the region.
Petro firmly rejected the accusations.
“My name does not appear in court records,” the Colombian president said, and then addressed Trump directly.
“Stop slandering me, Mr. Trump,” Petro wrote on the social network X.
In the same post, Petro emphasized that such threats are not made against “a Latin American president who emerged from armed struggle, and later from the struggle of the Colombian people for peace.”
“Kuba ready to fall, Mexico must get its act together”
U.S. President Donald Trump said that Cuba’s government could soon collapse, dismissing the possibility that the United States would militarily accelerate the fall of the Cuban government, but adding that the country survives only thanks to economic support from Venezuela.
Trump, writes the American outlet Politico today, made these statements aboard the presidential plane Air Force One less than 48 hours after U.S. forces carried out an operation in Caracas during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was arrested along with his wife.
“It looks like Cuba is ready to fall. I don’t know if it will hold on,” Trump said.
The U.S. president dismissed the possibility that the United States would militarily hasten the fall of the Cuban government, stating that Cuba survives thanks to Venezuela’s economic support.
“Cuba survives only because of Venezuela,” Trump said.
At the same time, Trump also warned neighboring Mexico, saying that the country “has to get its act together because (drugs) are rushing through Mexico,” and that the United States will have to do something about it.
The Mexican government is capable of solving the problem, “but unfortunately, the cartels are very strong in Mexico,” Trump said.
“The cartels run Mexico, whether you like it or not,” Trump added.
He added that his administration openly expects and hopes for changes of government in several countries in the region, although, as he said, the future of Venezuela remains uncertain.
He said he expects that the new authorities in Caracas will allow the United States unhindered access to the country to help with reconstruction, but warned that if they do not “behave properly,” a “second strike” would follow.
Trump also sharply criticized Colombian President Gustavo Petro, one of the most vocal opponents of the U.S. operation in Venezuela.
“And Colombia is very sick as well. It is led by a sick man who likes to produce cocaine and send it to the United States, but that will not last much longer,” Trump said.
Trump also commented on Greenland, stating that the United States “needs” the territory for security reasons, saying this just a few hours after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticized his statements about the possible annexation of the autonomous territory.
“We need Greenland for national security. The European Union needs us to have Greenland,” Trump concluded.
Trump threatens Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump said that Iran would be “hit very hard” if protesters were killed during the ongoing protests in that country.
“We are watching it closely. If they start killing people like they have done in the past, I think the United States will hit them very strongly,” Trump told reporters aboard the presidential plane Air Force One, reported Figaro today.
The protests began on December 28 last year in Tehran, when shopkeepers closed their stores in protest over hyperinflation and the dire economic situation, and then grew into a movement with political demands.
According to official data, at least 12 people have been killed in the demonstrations, including members of the security forces, while human rights organizations say the death toll is at least 16.
These are the largest protests in Iran since the end of 2022, when the country was swept by a wave of demonstrations following the death of Mahsa Amini in custody after her arrest for violating strict dress codes for women.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MADURO’S ARREST:
Source:Mediji; Foto: REUTERS



