Colombian President Gustavo Petro criticized former U.S. President Donald Trump before the COP30 climate meeting. Gustavo spoke against Trump’s serious immigration policies, militaristic mvoes in Gaza and Venezuela, and his perspectives on climate change. Petro said Trump was “against mankind” for not coming to the summit and compared U.S. immigration rules to those of the Nazis. This comes after a long conflict between the two leaders. The U.S. put Petro and his close helpers on a sanctions list, stopping them from entering the U.S. and freezing their money. Petro also said U.S. bombings in the Caribbean and Pacific killed innocent people, including Colombian fishermen.
This fight is causing problems for Colombia. Petro may feel he has little to lose because of the sanctions, but it could make U.S. aid and anti-drug help harder. Past disagreements have already caused some problems with aid. The fight is also causing problems between Colombia and other countries. Leaders from France and Germany canceled trips to Colombia. Experts say Petro’s strong words may make people in Colombia like him more, but they could hurt Colombia’s relationship with the U.S. and other countries, making it harder to get money and help with security.
