Colombian leader vows to fight US sanctions
(MENAFN) Colombian President Gustavo Petro declared on Friday that he remains committed to combating drug trafficking and will not “take a step back” despite new US sanctions imposed against him.
“Fighting drug trafficking for decades and doing so effectively brings this measure upon me from the government of the society that we help so much to stop their cocaine consumption,” he wrote on the US-based social media platform X. “Quite a paradox, but not a step back and never on our knees,” he added, announcing plans to launch a legal challenge. “My lawyer in my defense will be Dany Kovalik from the US,” he stated.
According to reports, the sanctions from the US Treasury Department also include measures against Petro’s wife, one of his sons, and Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, a close political ally.
The penalties were introduced at the same time the US announced the deployment of an aircraft carrier and naval group to join an existing mission in Latin America aimed at “countering narco-terrorism.”
This marks the first occasion in Colombia’s history that a sitting president has been personally targeted by US sanctions.
US Secretary Scott Bessent asserted that “President Petro has allowed drug cartels to thrive and has refused to stop this activity.” He further stated that US President Donald Trump “is taking strong action to protect” his nation.
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