US President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, will be the next to suffer US pressure after Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.

In a press conference at the White House, the Republican president ruled out the possibility of negotiating with Petro, asserting that the Colombian head of state"has been quite hostile toward the U.S."

"I hope he's listening. He'll be next," Trump said.

The US leader stated that Petro"is going to have big problems if he doesn't realize" that Colombia is "producing a lot of drugs."

"They have cocaine factories where they produce cocaine, as you know, and sell it directly to the United States," he stated.

In September, Trump removed Colombia from the list of countries cooperating in the fight against drugs and subsequently sanctioned Petro, whom he accused of being a"drug trafficking leader".

The Colombian president has rejected these actions and maintains that his government's anti-drug policy is the right one.

Trump thus puts Colombia in the sights of Operation Southern Spear, which he ordered with the argument of combating drug trafficking in Latin America and which has heightened tensions with the government of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.

Since September, the US Armed Forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean and the Pacific, near Venezuela and Colombia,extrajudicially killing more than 80 crew members .

Trump has promised that attacks inside Venezuelan territory will begin"soon," while Maduro has called on his citizens to unite against US threats and enlist in citizen militias.