Petro "accepts all of Trump's terms" and severe sanctions on Colombia are put on hold

Late Sunday, the White House announced that the United States and Colombia reached an agreement forthe Colombian government to accept deportation flights in its territory under the conditions outlined by President Donald Trump.

In this way, the harsh sanctions that President Trump had announced in the afternoon were put on hold, waiting for Colombia to honor the immigration agreement.

"The Government of Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump's terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay," the White House said in a statement.

"Based on this agreement, the fully drafted IEEPA tariffs and sanctions will be held in reserve, and not signed, unless Colombia fails to honor this agreement," the White House continued.

"The visa sanctions issued by the State Department, and enhanced inspections from Customs and Border Protection, will remain in effect until the first planeload of Colombian deportees is successfully returned. Today's events make clear to the world that America is respected again."

In turn, Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Murillo assured that "the impasse" between Washington and Bogota was "overcome" and that the South American country is ready to receive "Colombians who return as deportees, guaranteeing them dignified conditions as citizens with rights".

The brief diplomatic conflict between the U.S. and Colombia

Earlier, in a lengthy response on his 'X' account, Colombia's leftist president Gustavo Petro had declared a trade war on the United States after President Donald Trump announced a series of tough sanctions against the South American country after Petro himself denied landing deportation flights with illegal Colombian immigrants.

In a publication on the social network Truth, President Trump had questioned the "socialist" Petro for not allowing the arrival of the deportation flights to Colombia after Washington and Bogota agreed on their arrival. In the publication, Trump also announced unprecedented sanctions against Colombia.

"I was just informed that two repatriation flights from the United States, with a large number of Illegal Criminals, were not allowed to land in Colombia," Trump began. "This order was given by Colombia’s Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who is already very unpopular amongst his people. Petro’s denial of these flights has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States, so I have directed my Administration to immediately take the following urgent and decisive retaliatory measures."

Among the measures announced by Trump were emergency tariffs of 25% on all Colombian products entering the United States (in one week, these tariffs will go to 50%), travel ban and immediate revocation of visas for Colombian government officials, visa sanctions on all party members, family members and supporters of the Colombian government, treasury, banking and IEEPA financial sanctions, among others.

"These measures are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States!," Trump said.

Petro, who is a regular critic of Trump on his social networks, used his 'X' account to respond to the U.S. president and announce, first,50% tariffs on U.S. products in a very lengthy post where he spoke of the "dignity of the Colombian people", his sympathy for "the blackest neighborhoods in Washington", for the American writer Noam Chomsky, his disdain for oil and also invited Trump to have a glass of Whisky despite his "gastritis".

"I am informed that you put our fruit of human labor 50% tariff to enter the US, I do the same," Petro culminated in his colorful publication, which caused an international uproar and a diplomatic crisis with the US.

However, the Colombian president himself contradicted himself minutes later, in another publication where he announced that he ordered his trade minister to impose tariffs on US products of 25%.

"He ordered the foreign trade minister to raise tariffs on imports from the US by 25%. The ministry should help direct our exports to the whole world other than the U.S.," Petro said.