Trump considering counter-drug operations in Mexico, Colombia, website says

THE President of the United States, Donald Trumpreiterated his threats of ground attacks against suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers in an interview published this Tuesday (9), as members of his government prepared to brief key American parliamentarians in a context of growing tensions.

In an interview with Politico, the Republican president said he could expand military anti-drug operations in Mexico and Colombia. The conversation also touched on European issues, including the re-calling of elections in Ukraine and support for the Hungarian leader.

In an interview on Monday (8), his comments reinforced much of his worldview, presented last week in a broad US strategic roadmap that seeks to redefine the country’s global role.

The national security strategy highlighted a nation determined to reassert itself in the Western Hemisphere, while warning Europe that it must change direction or risk being “erased.”

“They are weak,” Trump told Politico, referring to European political leaders. “They want to be politically correct.”

“They don’t know what to do,” he added. “Europe doesn’t know what to do.”

In the Americas, Trump has repeatedly ruled out sending U.S. troops to Venezuela as part of an effort to oust President Nicolás Maduro, saying he does not want to detail his military strategy: “I don’t want to confirm or rule out.”

Asked about using force against targets in other countries with significant drug trafficking, including Mexico and Colombia, he said, “I would consider it.”

Later Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to brief congressional leaders and intelligence committee heads, according to Reuters sources.

The meeting comes after months of a military campaign against suspected drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, which has come under scrutiny following the September 2 decision to launch a second attack on a suspected boat in the Caribbean.

A European Commission spokeswoman, asked about Trump’s comments, defended the bloc’s leaders and said the region remained committed to its union despite challenges such as Russia’s war in Ukraine and Trump’s tariff policies.

“I will refrain from any comments except to confirm that we are very happy and grateful to have excellent leaders,” EU spokesperson Paula Pinho told reporters, adding that they “are leading the EU through all the challenges it faces, from trade to war, in our situations, and showing that they can be united.”

In his interview, Trump again said he thought it was election time in Ukraine, with war four years in the making. Ukraine is expected to share a revised peace plan with the United States on Tuesday, a day after rushed negotiations with European leaders.

He also said he had not offered financial aid to the government of his ally, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who met with Trump last month at the White House.

“No, I didn’t promise him, but he certainly asked,” he said.