US President Donald Trump has warned that Colombia could be the next target of a military operation, days after declaring that Washington was “in charge” of Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump lashed out at Colombia’s leftist leader Gustavo Petro, calling him a “sick man” who “likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.”
He added: “Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, and he’s not going to be doing it very long.”
When asked if the US would pursue military action against Colombia, Trump bluntly replied: “It sounds good to me.”
Earlier, Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez urged restraint, saying: “We prioritize moving towards balanced and respectful international relations between the United States and Venezuela. President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war.”
Rodriguez reiterated that Maduro’s message had always been one of dialogue, not confrontation.
China’s Sharp Rebuke
Trump’s remarks prompted a strong response from China, which condemned the US role in Venezuela.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Pakistani counterpart in Beijing: “We have never believed that any country can act as the world’s police, nor do we accept that any nation can claim to be the world’s judge.”
Wang stressed that sovereignty and security must be protected under international law.
His comments came after images of Maduro, blindfolded and handcuffed, surfaced on Saturday. The Venezuelan leader is currently held in New York and is expected to appear in court Monday on drug‑related charges.
Analysts say Trump’s declaration that the US would oversee Venezuela’s government has strained Beijing’s ties with Caracas.
China and Venezuela signed an “all‑weather comprehensive strategic partnership” in 2023, marking nearly five decades of diplomatic relations.
A Chinese official admitted: “It was a big blow to China. We wanted to look like a dependable friend to Venezuela.”
China has provided Venezuela with a crucial economic lifeline since sanctions tightened in 2017.
Customs data show Beijing purchased about $1.6 billion worth of Venezuelan goods in 2024, nearly half of which was crude oil. State‑owned oil firms had invested an estimated $4.6 billion in Venezuela by 2018.
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If it really about narcotics, Columbia perhaps would have been Trump’s prime target. But Columbia is not sitting on the world’s largest reserve of oil. So, it’s easy to see why Trump hot involved in Venezuela and control world’s energy, by which he can exert more geopolitical and economic dominance over US rivals.