"Colombian President Gustavo Petro has confirmed he will meet US counterpart Donald Trump in early February, while affirming his country's fight against drug trafficking amid tensions with Washington. "The debate between the United States and Colombia has intensified, between the governments, between the presidents. It has ended as a possibility of a meeting that will take place on February 3 [...] It is decisive," Petro told the cabinet in Bogota on Wednesday. "At last, there is communication that allows the president and the authorities of the United States to really know what is happening with the fight that this government has waged against narcotics in general,” Petro said. The president also underscored the fentanyl 'epidemic' in the United States, arguing that Bogota, not Washington, should be more concerned, as he claimed that data revealed a stark contrast with Trump's rhetoric on the issue. "We even have to ensure that this does not enter Colombia from the United States," Petro noted. "We do not have sufficient industrial capacity to make the chemical inputs that the pharmaceutical industry needs for that. Rather, it is about mixing and coming in via smuggling, mixing, and it can be more profitable than cocaine," he added. Tensions between Petro and Trump escalated in early 2026 after months of escalating insults. Trump called Colombia a 'sick country' and its leaders 'cocaine makers', while Petro labelled the US administration 'white supremacist' and a threat to Latin American sovereignty. The standoff deepened when Trump said military intervention in Colombia to fight drug trafficking 'sounds good', prompting Petro to call for national mobilisation and warn that Colombia would defend its borders 'at any cost'. Relations cooled after a January 7 phone call between the two leaders, leading to Petro's upcoming visit to the White House on February 3."