Jan. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro held their first phone call Wednesday since the U.S. leader started his second term -- a conversation described as "constructive" that could open a path to rebuilding a historically close relationship shaped by decades of cooperation on security and a fight against drug trafficking.
The more-than-40-minute conversation followed months of verbal escalation and administrative sanctions between the two governments and against a regionally tense backdrop after a U.S. operation led to the Jan. 3 capture in Caracas of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Hours after the call, Petro addressed a rally in Bogotá's Plaza de Bolívar, convened "in defense of sovereignty," and acknowledged that he softened a previously tougher attitude after speaking with Trump.
"If there is no dialogue, there is war. Colombian history has taught us that," Petro said, announcing he had requested the restoration of formal communication channels between Colombia's Foreign Ministry and the U.S. State Department.
During his remarks, the Colombian president said the call covered counternarcotics cooperation and rejected accusations linking him to drug trafficking, stating that for more than two decades, he has confronted criminal organizations and allied politicians, according to Colombian outlet Noticias Caracol.
