Colombian President Accuses U.S. of Blocking Meeting with Adams

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has accused the United States of limiting his freedom of movement and blocking a meeting with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who opposes former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Petro stated on the platform X that he was never informed about any restrictions on his movements. He described the limitation of his freedom to speak with the New York mayor and the curtailment of his intellectual freedom—by being prevented from delivering a lecture he was invited to in Boston—as undemocratic.

Last Wednesday, The Washington Post reported that Petro was scheduled to meet with Adams during his visit to New York for meetings at the United Nations headquarters. The newspaper cited unnamed sources indicating that Colombian authorities canceled the meeting after U.S. officials warned that it would violate a visa ban imposed on Petro last year amid a diplomatic crisis with Trump.

Currently, Petro can only enter the United States with a diplomatic visa strictly limited to official activities and missions.

Eric Adams was elected mayor of New York City last November on a "socialist" platform supporting immigrant integration, which some viewed as a rejection of Trump’s stringent policies.

Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, has previously engaged in sharp disputes with Trump over various issues, including migrant deportations, U.S. lethal strikes on boats alleged by Washington to be used for drug trafficking, and assessments of Petro’s own record on combating cocaine smuggling.

Last Wednesday, Petro delivered a speech at a United Nations Security Council meeting in which he criticized Israel, comparing it to the "Nazi regime" in reference to the genocidal war it conducted in the Gaza Strip.

A few days earlier, the outgoing Colombian president harshly criticized Trump after the latter announced support for right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella in the upcoming presidential runoff election in Colombia.

The runoff election is scheduled for June 21, with de la Espriella competing against leftist candidate Iván Cepeda, an ally of Petro. The Colombian constitution prohibits the president from serving a second term.