The diplomatic crisis between Colombia and the United States reached a new peak of tension on October 24 after Washington imposed financial sanctions on President Gustavo Petro, his family, and one of his ministers, a measure that the Colombian government"strongly" rejected, considering it"an affront to the Colombian people."
The Treasury Department announced the inclusion of Colombian President Verónica Alcocer, his wife, Nicolás Petro, and Interior Minister Armando Benedetti on the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) list known as the Clinton List for alleged ties to drug trafficking.
The US president once again referred to the Colombian president and once again called President Petro a "drug trafficking leader." This is his first statement after learning the news that the Colombian head of state has been added to the fearsome list.
In front of a journalist from W Radio, Donald Trump assured:"Yes, he is a drug trafficking leader. The president of Colombia is a drug trafficking leader."
That was the response the US president gave minutes before boarding the presidential Air Force jet, headed for Malaysia in Asia.
As a result of the measure, all assets and properties in the United States of those sanctioned are frozen and transactions with them are prohibited.
It was an unusual move. The US sanctions list is typically reserved for drug lords, terrorists and dictators implicated in serious human rights abuses.
It is also the first time that a Colombian president has received a sanction of this type.
Petro, who has stepped up his criticism of Trump since Trump ordered a military deployment in the Caribbean in August under the guise of combating drug trafficking, called the measure"an arbitrary act typical of an oppressive regime."
The president also assured that he has no assets or accounts in the United States and that, therefore, the financial sanctions imposed by the Donald Trump Administration do not affect him.
"If I have never done business, I don't have a dollar in the United States, there is no account to freeze, I have no desire nor will I ever have in the future to do business in the United States," Petro said during a speech before thousands of citizens gathered in Bogotá's Plaza de Bolívar.
"Mr. Trump has no idea what I am, what I think, or the history of this country," Petro said, adding:"No matter what they do to me (...) I have nothing to fear, I have never let greed enter my heart."
Relations between Bogotá and Washington are going through one of their worst moments since Trump's return to the White House last January, after the US president accused Petro of being"a drug trafficking leader" and announced the end of financial aid to Colombia, citing his alleged inaction in the fight against drugs. In September, the Pentagon removed Colombia (considered the world's largest producer of cocaine) from the list of nations that have combated drug trafficking in the last year and revoked Petro's visa for urging US soldiers to disobey Trump's orders during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York.
