Petro accuses Washington of carrying out executions in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea news

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Thursday accused the United States of carrying out “executions” in connection with the strikes it launches on boats in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which it says target drug traffickers.

Petro said that through these strikes, Washington is carrying out “extrajudicial executions… in violation of international law,” while the Colombian government called on the United States to stop the strikes that led to the deaths of at least 37 people and the destruction of 9 boats, according to American figures.

The Colombian position angered US President Donald Trump, who denounced Petro and called him a “drug smuggler” and announced the cutting of vital military aid to Bogotá, according to Reuters.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also described President Petro as “crazy,” while Colombia recalled its ambassador from Washington and called for dialogue.

Colombia’s ambassador to Washington, Daniel Garcia Pena, denounced Trump’s statements, which he considered “unacceptable,” saying after his country summoned him for consultations, “Under no circumstances can this type of threats and accusations that are completely baseless be justified.”

The Colombian president announced that he would take legal action in the United States against the American president on charges of slander after Trump described him as a “thug.”

Petro said – in statements reported by local media yesterday, Wednesday – that he “will defend himself legally before American courts with the help of American lawyers.”

The Colombian president indicated that the accusations leveled against him on American soil were “false and constitute slander by senior officials.”

Last Monday, Colombia recalled its ambassador to the United States after US President Donald Trump decided to halt aid, threatened to impose punitive customs duties on Bogota, and launched a sharp attack on his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro.

Relations between Washington and Bogotá have witnessed increasing tension since Trump’s return to the White House. Last month, the United States canceled President Petro’s visa after he participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York and called on American soldiers to disobey Trump’s orders.

The Colombian president also previously held his American counterpart responsible for Israel’s attacks in Gaza, and considered him an accomplice in the crime of genocide in the Strip.