Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he would consider any attack by U.S. forces on Venezuela as one against his country as well.
In a series of social media posts, Petro replied to reports about U.S. President Donald Trump secretly approving the use of military force against organizations designated as terrorist organizations in Latin America.
"Above the hurricane, the people must raise the sword of Bolivar. I invite the governments of the U.S. and Venezuela to coordinate actions against drug-trafficking, in a multi-national and coordinated manner, without undermining national sovereignty. What must die is the greed of drug-trafficking, capitalism, but not Bolivar's project," Petro said.
Por encima del huracán, el pueblo debe levantar la espada de Bolívar.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) August 10, 2025
Invito a los gobiernos de los EEUU y Venezuela a coordinar las acciones contra el narcotráfico, de manera multinacional y coordinada, sin menoscabo de la soberanía nacional. Lo que debe morir es la codicia del… https://t.co/dR6YFOKmLC
In another publication, Petro said that "as commander-in-chief of the Colombian armed forces," "Colombia and Venezuela are the same people, the same flag, the same history."
"Any military operation that is not approved by brotherly countries is an aggression against Latin America and the Caribbean. It is a fundamental contradiction to our principle of freedom. Freedom or death, Bolivar screamed, and the people rose," he added.
The warning comes as Trump's reported approval of military strikes against Latin American cartels designated as terrorist organizations by his administration could open the door to attacking Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro.
The reported approval came just two weeks after the administration designated the Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles to the list of global terrorist group, claiming that authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro and other high-ranking officials lead the cartel.
Last Thursday, Bondi raised the reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest to $50 million, saying he "will not escape justice and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes."
She also noted that the Justice Department has seized over $700 million in assets linked to Maduro, including private jets, and traced nearly 7 tons of cocaine directly to him.
Maduro was indicted in a 2020 Manhattan federal court on charges of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine, with an original $15 million U.S. bounty. The Biden administration later raised it to $25 million, matching the amount offered for Osama bin Laden's capture. Despite the high rewards and international condemnation of his 2024 reelection as illegitimate, Maduro remains in power.
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