Trump hails ‘very good’ meeting with Colombia’s Petro

Petro’s visit comes as Trump has accused him of pumping cocaine into the US, while the Colombian leader has been a vocal critic of US actions in Venezuela. But the meeting seemed to go far better than expected.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro met US President Donald Trump for the first time at the White House on Tuesday with tensions between the two leaders taking center stage after the US operation that captured Venezuela’s president last month. 

The talks were private and lasted for about two hours. However, after the meeting, Petro said Trump offered to mediate between Colombia and Ecuador in an ensuing trade war.

Trump said the ​meeting between the two ⁠leaders ​was “very good,” adding that he ⁠was working on ‌sanctions, among ‌other things, ⁠with Petro.

“My impression of the meeting a few hours ago is first and foremost that it was positive,” Petro told reporters.

 “You are great,” Trump wrote to Gustavo Petro as he signed a copy of his 1987 book “Art of the Deal.”

In a seeming joke on X, Petro shared the signature, asking: “What did Trump mean by this dedication? I don’t understand English very well.”-DW