US President Donald Trump has issued harsh threats against Cuba, Mexico and Colombia following the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by US forces in Caracas, escalating tensions across Latin America.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump defended the US military operation carried out in the Venezuelan capital, which resulted in Maduro being taken to New York. Describing the operation as successful, Trump said, “From my perspective, the operation looks very good.”

Trump directed particularly strong remarks at Colombian President Gustavo Petro, claiming that Colombia is being governed by what he described as a “sick man.” He further stated that Petro’s leadership “will not last long,” intensifying diplomatic tensions between Washington and Bogotá.

The US president also accused Petro of involvement in drug trafficking, alleging that cocaine was being sent to the United States under Colombia’s watch. These accusations were made one day after the operation in Caracas, during which US forces reportedly carried out an attack on the Venezuelan capital.

Trump’s threats were not limited to Colombia. He also targeted Mexico, stating that the country “must put its affairs in order,” and signaled that Washington may take new steps in this regard. Addressing Cuba, Trump claimed that a military intervention was not necessary at this stage, asserting that the island nation was “ready to collapse on its own.”

Strong Reaction From Colombia

Colombian President Gustavo Petro strongly condemned the US attack on Caracas and the abduction of President Maduro, describing the incident as a kidnapping operation with no legal basis.

Petro said the bombing of a South American capital by the United States would go down in history as a dark stain, calling it an unprecedented disgrace in human history. In a sharp rebuke, he stated, “What the United States has done is something neither Netanyahu, nor Hitler, nor Franco, nor Salazar ever did.”

Calling on Latin American countries to take a united stance against what he described as Washington’s aggressive regional policies, Petro urged the Organization of American States and the United Nations to convene emergency meetings.

Tensions between the United States and Colombia have deepened amid Washington’s so-called “war on drugs,” under which pressure on regional countries has increased. The Trump administration has previously cut aid to Colombia and removed it from its list of “reliable partners,” accusations that Bogotá has categorically rejected. (ILKHA)