President Gustavo Petro said that he had asked the Colombian people to defend him “against any illegitimate violent act.” His defense minister emphasized that security cooperation with Washington continued.

Lea en españolColombia’s dollar bonds fell on Monday as tensions mounted between US President Donald Trump and his counterpart in the South American nation in the wake of Nicolas Maduro’s ouster in Venezuela.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Monday that he is willing to “take up arms” in response to what he called

President Gustavo Petro is locked in a war of words with President Trump over Colombia’s major role in the global drug trade. The issue is complicated.

The President of Colombia is reported to be one of the next on U.S. President Trump's hit list of Latin American despots, but he is hitting back with rhetoric of his own.

Petro defends anti-narcotics strategy, asserts constitutional authority, warns against foreign meddling amid Trump-linked criticism and US raid on Venezuela - Anadolu Ajansı

Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered the deployment of troops to the border with Venezuela, whose President Nicolas Maduro has been abducted by US forces.

The silence marks a sharp departure from the widespread and passionate condemnation this weekend of the U.S. capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.