President Gustavo Petro met this Monday, October 20, with the United States Chargé d'Affaires in Colombia, John McNamara, amid the crisis he has with the Americans and the risk that the White House will impose new tariffs on the national economy.
The meeting took place at the Casa de Nariño and is the first demonstration of dialogue between the nations since Sunday, after the diplomatic conflict broke out, when President Donald Trump described the Colombian as a “drug trafficking leader.”
For now, no details of the meeting are known. However, in his latest statement on social media, Gustavo Petro announced that he would respond to the United States intelligently and that he would review these measures throughout the day, which he would share in a televised cabinet meeting."Today I will review the measures we will take, with the chancellor, the vice president, our ambassador to the U.S., the minister of Commerce and Agriculture, the person in charge of the illicit crop substitution program, the minister of defense, the most intelligent Colombian response to the irrational threat," Petro said.
The FTA is suspended de facto and by unilateral decision of the US government. By imposing 10% tariffs, the FTA treaty has already been violated and the old tariff preferences that kept Colombia under US control have become null and void. They are broken… https://t.co/hueByoUDiL
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 20, 2025
Vice President Francia Márquez stated that the path forward is dialogue: “I invite President Donald Trump to a dialogue that puts the lives of our people at the center. The decisions announced directly impact the people who need it most.”
She listed, for example, women, judges, children, Afro-descendant peoples, Raizal people, Palenqueros, Indigenous peoples, and peasants. The White House's warning is that there will be a cut in much of the aid Colombia receives, mainly in the area of security.
Márquez reiterated during the dialogue: "Progress toward a stable and lasting peace in the region depends on this dialogue. We must continue working together until dignity becomes a custom." Other voices from the Executive Branch and Congress reiterated the same sentiment, and it materialized with this meeting.
There is expectation about the conclusions of the meeting between President Gustavo Petro and the U.S. Chargé d'Affaires in Colombia, as well as the White House's announcement of the tariffs, and the plans the Casa de Nariño has to address the crisis, which Petro is expected to reveal at an upcoming cabinet meeting.
