President Donald Trump announced plans for talks with Colombia amid concerns over drug trafficking. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
The announcement came after Trump issued a warning to the Colombian president following a U.S. military operation over the weekend that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
"Colombia's very sick too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And he's not going to be doing it very long. Let me tell you," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday.
When asked by a reporter to clarify his remarks, Trump claimed that Petro has "cocaine mills and cocaine factories."
TRUMP EMBRACES US INTERVENTION IN VENEZUELA, OPENS DOOR TO BROADER LATIN AMERICA PUSH
Trump has claimed Petro is a "sick man" linked to drug trafficking. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)
Petro also dismissed Trump’s claims that he is linked to drug trafficking.
"I am not illegitimate, nor am I a narco," he wrote. "I only have as assets my family home that I still pay for with my salary. My bank statements have been published. No one could say that I have spent more than my salary. I am not greedy."
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Petro, a former member of the leftist M-19 guerrilla movement that demobilized in the early 1990s, has condemned U.S. strikes in the region, which the U.S. has said target suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean.
Fox News Digital's Ashley Carnahan and Emma Bussey contributed to this report.
Michael Sinkewicz is a writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to michael.sinkewicz@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-colombian-president-arrange-white-house-meeting-after-threats-military-action