Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro arrived in Havana on Friday for his last official trip abroad, seeking to bolster Cuba against what he has called a U.S. "strangulation policy" before his four-year term ends next week. Petro landed shortly after 19:00 local time and was received by Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal before heading to the Palace of the Revolution to meet President Miguel Díaz-Canel.
The visit underscores a stark foreign policy shift on the horizon. President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella, who takes office on August 7, has announced plans to close Colombia's embassy in Havana and sever diplomatic ties with Cuba and Nicaragua.
Petro, who has long denounced the U.S. embargo on Cuba dating to 1962, previously urged Washington to remove the island from its terrorism sponsors list. Washington's maximum pressure campaign on Cuba began in January 2026. Havana hosted the 2016 FARC peace talks, and Petro resumed contacts with ELN negotiators there in 2022. He is expected to remain in Cuba until Saturday.