Colombia’s Outgoing Leftist President Seeks Removal From American Sanctions List

Colombia’s outgoing leftist president, Gustavo Petro, is asking President Trump to remove him from a list of people facing sanctions.The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, administers America’s sanctions list. Anyone on the list is blocked from accessing assets in the United States or having a financial relationship with any financial institution that operates in America.The office put Mr. Petro, his wife, his son, and a close associate on the list last October. “President Petro has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement at the time. The sanctions came after Mr. Trump signed an executive order targeting foreigners involved in the global illicit drug trade.Mr. Petro, on Friday, said he had a friendly phone conversation with Mr. Trump. “It astonished me that he did not know that my family and I are still included on the OFAC list,” Mr. Petro said in an X post, adding that Mr. Trump had promised to act on the matter.The office of the presidency later issued a release stating that Mr. Trump said he would “do his best” to remove Mr. Petro from the sanctions list.Mr. Petro also updated Mr. Trump on Colombia’s efforts to eradicate coca crops used to produce cocaine. Mr. Petro says the goal of eradicating nearly 30,000 hectares has been met and the goal now is to reach 41,000 hectares by the end of 2026.Mr. Petro, a former guerrilla group member, won the presidency four years ago, becoming the first leftist president in the country’s history. He pushed dialogue over military strikes against armed leftists and violent narcotraffickers. The efforts had limited success. Mr. Petro is limited to a single term under Colombia’s constitution.Mr. Petro has had a combative relationship with the Trump administration. He briefly refused to accept military deportation flights being used to return Colombian nationals in America illegally to their home country. Mr. Petro backed down after Mr. Trump issued harsh retaliatory measures against Colombia.The Colombian president also complained about American strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea. Last October, Mr. Petro accused the American military of destroying a Colombian boat and killing citizens of his country during one strike. The White House denied the claim, saying in a statement that it “looks forward to President Petro publicly retracting his baseless and reprehensible statement.”A Trump-backed right-wing lawyer, Abelardo De La Espriella, won a June run-off election to replace Mr. Petro. Mr. de la Espriella, who holds dual Colombian and American citizenship, had never run for office before his presidential bid. He promised a tough-on-crime approach and said he would build 10 mega-prisons. He is set to begin a four-year term on August 7.Colombia became the latest of several Latin American countries to elect a right-wing leader. Honduras, Chile, and Costa Rica have moved to the right in recent elections.

Colombia’s Outgoing Leftist President Seeks Removal From American Sanctions List

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