Overview
- The leaders met behind closed doors for roughly two hours with no press availability, and an official photo showed Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio present.
- U.S. officials said the talks centered on counternarcotics cooperation and regional security following a period of strained ties.
- Colombia resumed accepting U.S. deportation flights late last week and on Tuesday restarted extraditions by sending an accused drug trafficker to the United States.
- Petro’s visit was enabled by a temporary waiver of U.S. sanctions and visa restrictions imposed last year as relations deteriorated over drug policy.
- The encounter followed a Jan. 7 phone call that eased tensions after the U.S. operation capturing Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, though deep disagreements persist.