BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro attempted to ease tensions with the United States in June by sending a letter to President Donald Trump saying he did not intend to accuse U.S. officials of trying to overthrow his government.
The confidential letter, dated June 23, was leaked to Colombian media outlets on Monday. Relations between the two countries are at their worst since the 1990s, when the U.S. stripped a Colombian president of his visa following allegations that his campaign was financed by drug traffickers.
In the June 23 letter, Petro appears to backtrack from comments made during a speech on June 11, where he accused Secretary of State Marco Rubio of leading a plot to overthrow his government. Petro had said in the speech that “a neighboring President” had told him that Rubio was leading a plot against him.
“I would like to clarify that any expression of mine, which may have been interpreted as a direct accusation about participation in a coup attempt in Colombia had no in intention of signaling anyone personally or questioning the role of the United States, without any proof,” Petro writes in the letter. He also suggests that both Presidents should lead a U.S. – Latin America summit.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday she was not sure if Trump had seen the letter. Petro did not immediately comment on the letter after it was leaked to the press Monday. Colombia’s Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia confirmed the letter was sent last month as part of an effort to “strengthen” the relation between both countries.
On Thursday, the U.S. recalled its top diplomat from Colombia with the State Department citing “baseless and reprehensible statements from the highest levels” of Colombia’s government.
Colombia replied by recalling its ambassador from Washington in what Petro described as an effort to review the bilateral relationship, and analyze what kind of progress has been made on issues such as fighting climate change and “attacking” the international finances of drug traffickers.
Colombia and the U.S. have long been partners in the fight against the cocaine trade, with the South American country receiving more than $13 billion in U.S. aid over the past two decades.
But the relationship has changed since Petro came into office in 2022, with the Colombian president prioritizing issues like climate change and the transition to clean forms of energy.
Petro and Trump clashed in January after Colombia’s president refused to accept two deportation flights operated by the U.S. military, arguing that Colombian citizens on the planes were being subjected to inhumane conditions.
Trump threatened Colombia with 25% tariffs after the planes were prevented from landing, but the dispute was resolved within hours through a deal in which Colombia agreed to send its own planes to the U.S. to pick up Colombian migrants that have been handed deportation orders.
In June, Petro accused U.S. Congressmen Carlos Gimenez and Mario Diaz Balart of trying to overthrow him.
The congressmen were mentioned in recordings in which Colombia’s former foreign minister, Alvaro Leyva, discusses plans to remove Petro from office, with an unnamed source. Both have denied any involvement in plans to remove Petro.
Last week, Colombian prosecutors opened an investigation into the recordings, which were leaked to the Spanish newspaper El País.
Tensions between Colombia and the United States come as cocaine production in Colombia reaches records levels, with Colombia’s coca crop reaching 253,000 hectares (976 square miles) in 2023, according to the United Nations, a 40% increase from 2020.
