Colombia’s leftist President Gustavo Petro warned that Venezuela could face catastrophic consequences if the United States maintains control over the nation for an extended period, a scenario recently suggested by President Donald Trump. Petro’s comments were made during an interview with CBS News on Thursday.
Petro’s statement came in light of Trump’s assertion to the New York Times that he anticipated U.S. oversight in Venezuela would last “much longer” than just a year. “If that happens, Venezuelan society will implode,” Petro stated, emphasizing the potential turmoil that could arise from prolonged external governance.
He further critiqued the notion that the United States holds rights over the resources of not only Latin America but the entire globe, highlighting a significant concern about international interventionism.
The Trump administration has indicated plans to oversee the sale of Venezuela’s oil and is encouraging U.S. companies to invest heavily in revitalizing the nation’s oil infrastructure. On Friday, Trump is scheduled to meet with oil executives at the White House to discuss these developments.
The dialogue between Petro and Trump marked their first conversation on Wednesday, which followed Trump’s threats of military action against Colombia aimed at curbing drug trafficking. This call seemed to alleviate some of the rising tensions between the two leaders, with Trump extending an invitation for Petro to visit the White House.
Petro also expressed skepticism regarding Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, whom Trump plans to meet next week. When asked if he would support Machado as a potential leader of Venezuela, Petro replied, “I invited her once, and she didn’t want to come. I was obviously surprised that Trump thought the same thing as me.”
Following the U.S. capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Trump expressed doubts about Machado’s viability as a leader, citing a lack of support within Venezuela. Instead, Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, has been installed as the interim president.
Despite this, Machado has shown strong support among the opposition, polling at 93% ahead of an election last year, which Maduro claimed to have won decisively—a victory widely regarded as fraudulent by the U.S. and Machado herself. Although Maduro’s regime blocked Machado from participating in the elections, the candidate she endorsed is believed by the U.S. and various observers to have secured around 70% of the vote.
