Colombia's president lashes out at Trump administration over drug war designation
By MANUEL RUEDA
Updated 4:22 PM CDT, September 16, 2025
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) Colombian president Gustavo Petro on Tuesday lashed out at the U.S. government after it added Colombia to a list of nations failing to cooperate in the drug war for the first time in three decades.
In a message on his X account, the leftist leader accused the United States of seeking to participate in Colombian politics and looking for a puppet president as the country prepares for presidential elections next year.
The Colombian people will reply if they want a puppet president
or a free and sovereign nation Petro wrote, adding in another message that he would not let his nation kneel to U.S. interests and allow peasants who grow coca to get beaten up.
On Monday, the Trump administration designated Colombia as a country that is failing to meet its international commitments to fight drug trafficking and blamed the Colombian government for a lack of progress in the fight against the cocaine trade.
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https://apnews.com/article/colombia-drug-war-certification-trump-petro-rivalry-48f8abc371f6b8d02ae8785dcf8b980e