Name: Colombia sees 'real threat' of US military action, president tells BBC | BBC News
Uploaded: 2026-01-09T16:56:08.000Z
Duration: 6 min 8 s
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It seems to me that there's a problem in the United States that dates back decades.

Adverbs of degree

Adverbs of manner

The conception that the United States has held regarding its international relations under various administrations, it sees them as an empire without regard for the rights of nations, especially those of Latin America.

As long as the United States economy is based on oil and coal, 70% of its energy matrix, that's enormous, it will tend to seek wars over oil and coal.

The Venezuelan issue is about this, in my opinion.

If the United States and its policies were aligned with The Paris Agreement, that is, if they were to completely replace that 70% of its energy with clean energy, there would be no wars.

There would be much more democratic and peaceful relationships with the world and South America.

And President Trump has said that military action in Colombia sounds good.

How serious a threat do you think that is?

I do believe it's a real threat, and the prospect of removing it depends on the ongoing conversations.

Colombia has already experienced military violence from the United States, most recently in Panama at the beginning of the 20th century.

Colombia has lost territory many times, but this is just.

So we don't think we're just talking for the sake of talking, and

even less so from the moment there was a verbal altercation in relations.

President Trump has also said to you personally to watch your back.

How worried are you for your personal safety?

let's say that faced with the threat of the magnitude of such powerful army, such powerful military forces in Colombia, the response isn't exactly the same as what has happened in Venezuela.

Colombia's history shows how it has responded to large armies.

And can you be sure that the US Won't do to you, to Colombia, what it has done in Venezuela with Nicolas Maduro?

There was a major weakness in Nicolas Maduro, one that steamed from Venezuelan politics itself.

A state of degradation of the process initiated by Chavez.

This led to a significant withdrawal of support from Venezuelan society.

I just spoke with Delsey, whom I've known for a long time.

Negotiations between Venezuelan forces must be between Venezuelan forces.

I don't know if it will happen, but I think it would be important.

I believe we must focus our efforts primarily on national dialogue in Venezuela, toward a shared government that builds trust across all sectors of Venezuelan society, and

President Trump has also accused you personally of trafficking cocaine.

People voted for me because it has always been proven here that I'm not involved in that.

this is important, I have been fighting against the drug cartels at the cost of my family having to go into exile.

Should you have adopted a more tough military stance to tackle narco trafficking rather than just trying to talk?

What we've developed today is two simultaneous approaches.

One, talking about peace with groups that are bandits.

And the other, developing a military offensive against those who don't want peace.

There are still ongoing negotiations in the south of the country where the greatest reduction in coca leaf cultivation has occurred.

It's in the south of the country where the homicide rate in Colombia has fallen the most.

So let's say the policy of dialogue, as I just demonstrated, serves to de escalate violence.

And to that extent, we've carried out 1440 armed confrontations, capturing 14,000 members of these types of structures.

Finally, President, what do you want from the US now and what's your message to the American people?

Well, I think they need to reflect first, and we, Latin America, need to come together.

Many people took to the streets in Venezuelan cities, a huge number of people in Colombian cities, and

social unrest erupted in parts of the United States over an event unrelated to them, but

because of the murder of a citizen by ice.

For us, ICE operates the same way as the Nazi and Italian brigades, the fascists.

And it has reached to the point where they no longer just persecute Latin Americans in the streets, which for us is an affront, but

they also kill citizens of the United States.

So it's a matter for reflection, because if you look at all of this together, plus what could continue to develop, instead of a United States dominating the world, the imperial dream, it's a United States isolated from the world.

And an empire is not built in isolation from the world.