Sep 27, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Colombian president accuses Trump of violating UN principles after visa revoked

Side-by-side photos of headshots of two men — **President Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro speak at separate events amid rising U.S.-Colombia tensions. Photos: Joaquin Sarmiento, Mandel Ngan/ AFP via Getty Images**

Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused President Trump on Saturday of violating "founding principles" of the United Nations after the U.S. State Department announced it will revoke the Colombian president's visa.

The big picture: The Trump administration believes Petro, a left-leaning leader who's an ally of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, wants to pick a fight with the U.S. president ahead of the Colombia's presidential elections next year.

Petro is barred from reelection and the U.S. does not want one of his allies to succeed. The U.S. position: it opposes Petro and supports the Colombian people.

Context: The State Department said, on Friday, it would revoke Petro's visa due to what it deemed "his reckless and incendiary actions."

Petro appeared in New York at a pro-Palestinian rally, where he encouraged protests, saying through a translator, "diplomacy is over."

Zoom in: Petro said in a statement on X that he was expressing his "opinions freely."

"International law is the wisdom of humanity and it protects me," he said. "Genocide is a crime against humanity and humanity must respond, judge, and punish.
"Mr. Trump has violated the founding principles of the UN. Time to go to a more democratic place. I propose Doha as the headquarters of the United Nations."

Go deeper: Trump hits Colombia with tariffs, sanctions after it refuses deportation flights

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Colombian president accuses Trump of violating UN principles after visa revoked

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