U.S. President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Tuesday that they had a positive and cordial meeting at the White House, signaling a thaw in relations after months of public feuding between the two leaders.
The roughly two-hour meeting marked their first face-to-face encounter and took place without media access or the public ceremony often afforded to visiting foreign leaders. While neither side announced concrete agreements, both Trump and Petro spoke favorably about the discussion afterward.
A screen shows Colombian President Gustavo Petro and U.S. President Donald Trump shaking hands, as people attend a rally, called by the Colombian government, in support of Petro during his ongoing visit to the U.S., at Plaza Bolivar in Bogota, Colombia, February 3, 2026. REUTERS/Nathalia Angarita
Asked whether the leaders had reached an understanding on countering narcotics flows from Colombia, Trump said they were working on the issue. “Yeah, we did,” he told reporters. “We worked on it, and we got along very well.” Trump added that despite past tensions, the two had not previously met and left the encounter on good terms.
Petro later shared a photo on social media showing the two leaders smiling and shaking hands, alongside what appeared to be a handwritten note from Trump reading: “Gustavo – A great honor – I love Colombia.”
In a radio interview with Colombia’s Caracol, Petro said the meeting did not reflect the sharp disagreements he had seen portrayed in the media. He added that he asked Trump to help capture major drug traffickers living outside Colombia and to mediate a diplomatic dispute with neighboring Ecuador. According to Petro, Trump agreed to contact Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa.
Relations between the two leaders have been strained since Trump began his current term. Trump has accused Petro’s government, without evidence, of failing to curb cocaine flows and previously floated the possibility of military action against Colombia. Petro, a former guerrilla elected president in 2022, has sharply criticized U.S. actions against alleged drug traffickers and Washington’s broader regional policies.
Despite those tensions, the relationship began to warm after a phone call in January that both sides described as constructive. Trump said this week that Petro’s tone had recently changed, paving the way for the White House visit.
During the meeting, counternarcotics cooperation was a central topic, and Trump said the two leaders were also working on sanctions, without providing details. Petro, who is under U.S. sanctions imposed in October over alleged links to the drug trade that he denies, praised Trump’s Oval Office renovations after the meeting, calling the design “spectacular.”
Analysts have warned that a breakdown in relations could have serious implications for regional security. Colombia is the world’s largest producer of coca and hosts several U.S.-designated terrorist groups, but it has also long been one of Washington’s closest allies in Latin America.
