“He said yesterday that it was ‘an honor’ to speak with the president of Colombia to solve a common problem,” said Sánchez, a decorated career Air Force officer with a key role in engaging with the U.S. and tackling drug trafficking.

Those common problems are the drug trade — Colombia is one of the world’s leading producers of coca, which is used to make cocaine, and the United States the largest consumer of the drug — and gangs that enable the cross-border flow of people, narcotics and other illicit goods.

Colombia is the United States’ main drug-fighting ally in the hemisphere, Sánchez said.

“We share a lot of history, we share democratic values, and also we have a strong cooperation between the both countries, especially in defense,” he said.

Colombian leaders are especially alert to the movement of the leaders of Venezuelan crime syndicate Tren de Aragua and Colombia’s ELN, designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and which has bases in Venezuela, among others, Sanchez said. Some 30,000 troops had been deployed to help guard the 1,400-mile border with Venezuela.

“We are ready to defeat or to confront those groups,” he added.

While the U.S. has historically had strong relations with Colombia, sending hundreds of millions of dollars in military and other assistance every year, these cooled after Petro came to power in 2022. Ties truly frayed under Trump.

In October, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Petro and members of his family over alleged ties to the drug trade — charges he denies.

In November, Petro called Trump a “barbarian” who “wants to frighten us,” and said the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean was “undoubtedly an aggression against Latin America.”

The recent escalating rhetoric reached a boiling point on Wednesday, when Colombian Foreign Minister ‍Rosa Villavicencio warned the U.S. to back off.

“If such aggression were to occur, ‌the military must defend the national territory and ​the country’s sovereignty,” she said at a news conference in Bogota.

Still, Sánchez said he believed in-person communication is key, and two weeks ago sent a letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, inviting him to Colombia to see first hand the work the country is doing to combat the supply of drugs. (Hegseth has not responded publicly to the invitation.)

“He is a soldier and I’m a soldier,” he said. “The enemies are the criminals, not the nations.”