Colombia Floats Refuge For Maduro As U.S. Sea Operations Intensify

Key Points

• Colombia says it would consider refuge for Nicolás Maduro if he leaves via a negotiated transition.
• Reporting cites at least 22 lethal U.S. strikes since September and at least 87 deaths.
• Petro is urging amnesty and power-sharing, raising fears that peace could mean impunity.

Colombia’s foreign minister, Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio, said Bogotá would “certainly” open its doors to Nicolás Maduro if the Venezuelan leader sought exile as part of a transition of power.

She said the standoff must be handled through diplomacy—dialogue, negotiation and guarantees that avoid outside “interference.” She denied Colombia is mediating between Maduro and the opposition, but said it is ready to support a process.

The offer comes as U.S. pressure around Venezuela rises. Washington has expanded an operation it says targets drug-trafficking networks, striking suspected vessels.

Reporting on the campaign cites at least 22 lethal strikes since September, at least 87 deaths, and growing political and legal scrutiny in the United States.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack Venezuelan territory, and Caracas and some observers argue the sea campaign doubles as political coercion.

Petro Walks a Tightrope on Venezuela Crisis

Maduro has not publicly indicated he is preparing to leave. Last week he said that after 22 weeks of what he called U.S. “psychological terrorism,” nothing would stop Venezuela from building the “powerful nation” its people deserve.

Colombia is trying to keep channels open while holding distance. Petro restored diplomatic relations with Venezuela after taking office, yet he has not formally recognized Maduro’s claimed victory in Venezuela’s disputed 2024 election.

As tensions rose, Petro urged a “general amnesty” on X and floated a shared transition government between the ruling party and parts of the opposition—an idea neither side has accepted publicly. In San Andrés, Petro rejected accusations that he is defending a dictatorship.

He argued there are “no international waters in the Caribbean,” called the situation an “invasion,” compared the tension to Gaza, asked whether the Caribbean needs its own “flotilla,” and urged people to “confront the missiles” en masse.

Villavicencio’s remark spread on Instagram and Facebook, while X debates split between those who see refuge as an off-ramp and those warning it could trade justice for calm.