Colombian President Gustavo Petro has issued a stark warning that Latin American nations must unite or risk being “treated as servants and slaves,” following a series of aggressive threats from U.S. President Donald Trump that included the possibility of military action in Colombia.
Petro’s call for solidarity came in response to Trump’s remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. The U.S. president’s comments followed a dramatic military operation in Caracas the previous day, where U.S. forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. During the flight, Trump labeled Colombia and Venezuela “very sick” countries and accused Petro of leading a government complicit in cocaine production and trafficking to the United States. Directly targeting Petro, Trump added, “And he’s not going to be doing it very long. Let me tell you.” When pressed on whether he meant a U.S. military attack on Colombia, Trump replied, “Sounds good to me.”
In a lengthy post on X, Petro fired back, urging regional unity. “The U.S. is the first country in the world to bomb a South American capital in all of human history,” he wrote, referencing the attack on Caracas. He argued that Latin America must forge itself into a cohesive bloc capable of engaging with the world autonomously, fostering global trade and cooperation instead of looking “only to the north.”
Trump also intensified his rhetoric against Venezuela, asserting the United States was “in charge” of the country despite the Venezuelan Supreme Court’s appointment of Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as interim leader after Maduro’s capture. He reiterated threats to redeploy U.S. troops to Venezuela if the nation “doesn’t behave.”
Maduro and Flores, detained by U.S. forces, are scheduled to appear in a New York court Monday on what Washington describes as “drug-related charges.” Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Venezuelan officials to make the “right decision” or face heightened military, political, and economic pressure.
In a televised address, Interim President Rodríguez condemned the U.S. operation as a violation of sovereignty, demanded Maduro’s immediate release, and announced the formation of a National Defense Council. She vowed Venezuela would “never again be a colony of any empire,” adding that governments worldwide were “simply shocked” by this “unlawful aggression.”
Trump Repeats Threats Against Cuba, Mexico
Expanding his threats, Trump claimed that “a lot of Cubans” were killed during the U.S. raid in Venezuela and suggested military action against Cuba was unnecessary because the island appeared “ready to fall” on its own. “Cuba literally is ready to fall,” he stated, alleging Cuban Americans would be “very happy” with the situation.
The U.S. president also targeted Mexico, warning it needed to “get their act together” on “drug trafficking” and claiming powerful cartels were “running Mexico.” Such menacing comments toward both nations are a recurring feature of Trump’s rhetoric.
🚨 Trump threatens similar attack on Colombia
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) January 5, 2026
💬 “It sounds good to me, yeah. You know why? They kill a lot of people,” President Trump said.
Trump also mentioned that the US military killed "a lot of Cubans" who were protecting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. https://t.co/a1xUlqVdq0 pic.twitter.com/e4IFst4s33
These latest threats against Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba, and Mexico coincide with a renewed U.S. assertion of dominance in Latin America, following Trump’s revival of a modernized version of the Monroe Doctrine—a longstanding policy aimed at cementing Washington’s self-proclaimed sphere of influence in the region.
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar)