2016 – The Colombian government and the former FARC guerrilla group sign a peace accord, establishing a framework for demobilization and political participation that later underpins security discussions in U.S.–Colombia talks [7].

Oct 2025 – The United States imposes sanctions on President Gustavo Petro, his family and a senior official, citing alleged drug‑trade links and escalating diplomatic friction ahead of the 2025‑2026 election cycle [6].

Dec 11, 2025 – President Donald Trump tells reporters that Colombia produces large amounts of drugs and warns President Petro that he will be “next if he does not wise up,” while Petro rebuts on X, calling Trump “very misinformed” and highlighting a record 2,700‑ton cocaine seizure to defend his anti‑drug record [6].

Jan 5, 2026 – President Petro posts on X that he will take up arms again to defend the homeland, marking a sharp rhetorical shift amid Trump’s weekend insults and a U.S. strike that captures Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, which Petro condemns as illegal [10].

Jan 5, 2026 – President Trump publicly says a U.S. operation against Colombia “sounds good to me,” repeats harsh personal attacks on Petro, and hints that “something will have to be done” about Mexico while also warning Cuba and reviving talk of annexing Greenland, prompting regional alarm and expert warnings of a “warning shot” [5].

Jan 8, 2026 – Petro condemns the U.S. operation in Venezuela as an “abhorrent” violation of sovereignty, then pivots after a friendly hour‑long call with Trump, offering an olive branch, urging restoration of direct government communication, and receiving a White House invitation, which diffuses mass protests in Bogotá [8][9].

Jan 8, 2026 – Petro warns on X that treating Latin America solely as an oil source “will destroy international law, lead to barbarism and could trigger a third world war,” proposes a $500 billion clean‑energy investment as an alternative, and orders a halt to intelligence sharing with Washington until U.S. military actions scale back [4].

Jan 9, 2026 – In a BBC interview, Petro declares a “real threat” of U.S. military action against Colombia, accuses ICE of acting like “Nazi brigades,” and cites over 30 U.S. strikes on drug‑trafficking vessels that have killed more than 110 people, underscoring heightened regional tension [2].

Jan 9, 2026 – Former defense minister and ex‑ambassador Juan Carlos Pinzón warns that Colombia risks becoming “another Venezuela” unless the bilateral partnership with the United States is “recovered, strengthened and updated,” linking security deterioration to Petro’s “total peace” policy and stressing the need for U.S. training but no foreign troops [3].

Jan 23, 2026 – Petro announces optimism for the scheduled Feb 3 White House meeting, cites full diplomatic guarantees from the State Department, outlines an agenda on trade, security and transnational crime, and notes that an early‑January phone call with Trump eased bilateral tensions, while the U.N. Security Council continues its quarterly review of the 2016 peace accord [7].

Feb 3, 2026 – Trump and Petro meet behind closed doors at the White House for about two hours, emerge cordial, discuss routing Venezuelan gas through Colombia, pledge joint action against drug trafficking, signal possible sanctions relief, and propose broader regional collaboration including U.S. mediation in Colombia’s trade dispute with Ecuador [1].

Future (post‑Feb 3, 2026) – Petro urges the United States to mediate Colombia’s trade dispute with Ecuador and to cooperate on oil and gas exports from Venezuela, while both leaders hint at expanding joint efforts to capture senior drug traffickers abroad, setting a roadmap for continued diplomatic engagement beyond the White House meeting [1].