'Accomplice to genocide', 'sick man' — Trump hosts Colombia's Petro after sharp exchanges

US President Donald Trump has hosted Colombian President Gustavo Petro to the White House for talks only weeks after threatening military action against the South American country and accusing the leader of pumping cocaine into the United States.

Their first face-to-face talks on Tuesday, aiming to ease months of tensions over Venezuela and drugs, came less than month after Trump threatened to topple Petro.

The pair warmly shook hands in the West Wing colonnade, according to photos released by Bogota.

But the visit was kept low-profile. Petro's car arrived by a side entrance, with none of the flags and fanfare typically accorded to heads of state visiting the White House.

Trump and Petro's meeting in the Oval Office was also being held behind closed doors for now, the White House said.

Pictures released by the Colombian presidency showed the two leaders talking in the Oval Office, accompanied by US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

One of the photos released by White House showed a Colombian delegation member holding a graphic that appears to say: "Colombia: America's #1 ally against narcoterrorists."

'He changed his attitude'

Trump on Monday suggested that Petro — who has continued to criticise Trump and the US operation to abduct Maduro — seems more willing to work with his administration to stem the flow of illegal drugs from Colombia.

"Somehow after the Venezuelan raid, he became very nice," Trump told reporters. "He changed his attitude very much."

Yet, bad blood between the leaders overshadows the sit-down, even as Trump sought to downplay any friction on the eve of the visit.

The conservative Trump and leftist Petro are ideologically far apart, but both leaders share a tendency for verbal bombast and unpredictability. That sets the stage for a White House visit with an anything-could-happen vibe.

In recent days, Petro has continued poking at the US president, calling Trump an "accomplice to genocide" in Israel-besieged Gaza, while asserting that the capture of Maduro was a kidnapping.

And ahead of his departure for Washington, Petro called on Colombians to take to the streets of Bogota during the White House meeting.

US-Colombia ties

There's been a shift in US-Colombia relations Historically, Colombia has been a US ally. For the past 30 years, the US has worked closely with Colombia, to arrest drug traffickers, fend off rebel groups and boost economic development in rural areas.

But relations between the leaders have been strained by Trump’s massing US forces in the region for unprecedented deadly military strikes targeting suspected drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific.

At least 126 people have been killed in 36 known strikes.

In October, the Trump administration announced it was imposing sanctions on Petro, his family and a member of his government over accusations of involvement in the global drug trade.

The Treasury Department levelled the penalties against Petro; his wife, Veronica del Socorro Alcocer Garcia; his son, Nicolas Fernando Petro Burgos; and Colombian Interior Minister Armando Alberto Benedetti.

The sanctions, which had to be waived to allow Petro to travel to Washington this week, came after the US administration in September announced it was adding Colombia to a list of nations failing to cooperate in the drug war for the first time in three decades.

Then came the audacious military operation last month to abduct Maduro and his wife to face federal drug conspiracy charges, a move that Petro has forcefully denounced. Following Maduro’s ouster, Trump put Colombia on notice, and ominously warned Petro he could be next.

Colombia is "run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States," Trump said of Petro last month. "And he’s not gonna be doing it very long, let me tell you."

Easing of tensions

But a few days later, tensions eased somewhat after a call between the leaders. Trump said Petro in their hourlong conversation explained "the drug situation and other disagreements." And Trump extended an invitation to Petro for the White House visit.

Trump on a couple of occasions has used the typically scripted leaders' meetings to deliver stern rebukes to counterparts in front of the press.

Trump and Vice President JD Vance lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February for showing insufficient gratitude for US support of Ukraine.

Trump also used a White House meeting in May to forcefully confront South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing the country, with reporters present, of failing to address Trump’s claim of the systematic killing of white farmers.

It was not clear if the meeting between Trump and Petro would include a portion in front of cameras.