High-Stakes Diplomacy: Trump and Petro's Tense White House Meet

US President Donald Trump meets Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the White House amid tensions over accusations of drug trafficking and military threats. Despite ideological differences, both leaders address regional security and counternarcotics efforts, attempting to downplay their public feud in a high-profile diplomatic exchange.

US President Donald Trump engaged in talks with Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the White House, following weeks of heightened tensions over military threats and drug trafficking accusations. The meeting aimed to focus on regional security and counternarcotics cooperation, despite the ideological gap and public feuds between the two leaders.

Trump accuses Petro of contributing to the cocaine influx into the US and criticized his reaction to the US operation against Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro. As the leaders sat down for this high-stakes discussion, historically solid US-Colombia relations were put to the test amidst sanctions imposed on Petro and others by Trump's administration.

The visit occurred amidst Petro's criticisms of Trump's actions and amidst warnings from Trump about his potential next move. Petro, arriving with diplomatic gifts, used the meeting to display Colombia's counternarcotics efforts, while Trump skipped traditional diplomatic greetings, highlighting the unpredictable nature of their interactions.

(With inputs from agencies.)