BOGOTA, Oct. 31, 2025 – In a stark and embarrassing demonstration of the power of U.S. sanctions, Colombian President Gustavo Petro was temporarily stranded in Spain on Thursday after his presidential plane was denied refueling services by a private company, his government confirmed.
 |
| Colombian President Gustavo Petro is struggling to get his paycheck after US sanctions (John Vizcaino) |
The incident, which occurred at Madrid's main Barajas airport, forced the Spanish government to scramble a diplomatic workaround, vividly illustrating the logistical and political isolation facing the Colombian leader following his addition to the U.S. Treasury's "blacklist."
A Diplomatic Scramble on the Tarmac
President Petro was en route to Saudi Arabia for a three-country tour of the Middle East when the presidential plane stopped in Madrid for a scheduled refueling.
However, according to Colombian Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, officials at Spain's biggest airport refused to "fill it up."
The refueling company, which Benedetti noted is like most aviation service providers, is American-owned or has significant U.S. capital. The company reportedly refused the service out of fear of violating the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions, which were imposed on Petro last week.
"The companies that sell fuel or provide cleaning services... are almost always American," Benedetti explained. "They refused to provide the (refueling) service because of the OFAC (list)."
The standoff forced Spain's left-wing government to intervene. After high-level negotiations, Petro's plane was moved to a separate military base to be refueled, allowing the tour to continue.
President Petro later posted on X, pointedly thanking the "kingdom of Spain" for the assistance that allowed him to reach Riyadh.
The Sanctions at the Center of the Crisis
The incident is the first major international consequence of the Trump administration's decision on October 24 to sanction President Petro.
In an aggressive move, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent placed Petro, his wife Veronica Alcocer, his eldest son Nicolas, and Interior Minister Benedetti on the OFAC list, banning them from traveling to the U.S. and freezing all their U.S. assets.
The White House's official justification is Petro's alleged failure to combat the drug trade.
"Since President Gustavo Petro came to power, cocaine production in Colombia has exploded to the highest rate in decades, flooding the United States and poisoning Americans," Bessent said when announcing the sanctions.
A Deeper Ideological Rift
The sanctions are the culmination of months of escalating friction between President Donald Trump and Colombia's first left-wing president.
Petro, a former guerrilla, has vehemently denied any involvement in drug trafficking, arguing that the trade is fueled by demand in the U.S. and Europe.
The dispute has become deeply personal and ideological:
Migrant Deportations: The two leaders have clashed over U.S. migrant deportation policies.
"Drug Boat" Strikes: Petro has accused the U.S. of violating international law and killing "innocent civilians" in military strikes on suspected drug boats off the South American coast—a charge the White-House denies.
The NYC Protest: The final straw for Washington appeared to be last month when Petro's U.S. visa was revoked. The U.S. State Department took this action after Petro, during a protest in New York, "called on American soldiers to disobey Mr. Trump's orders," an act the U.S. deemed "reckless and incendiary."
The refueling incident in Madrid demonstrates that the U.S. sanctions are not merely symbolic. They have effectively weaponized the global financial and service industries against a sitting head of state, forcing private companies in allied nations to choose between servicing a presidential plane and risking the wrath of the U.S. Treasury.