HAMILTON, Canada

Colombia's foreign minister announced Tuesday that the country had sent a letter of protest to the US after President Donald Trump accused his counterpart of trafficking drugs.

Speaking at a news conference, Rosa Villavicencio said that she would have a meeting with US charge d'Affaires, John McNamara, to present a "(diplomatic) note, rejecting these insults, threats" against President Gustavo Petro.

Underlining that Petro is Colombia's democratically elected president, she stressed that "an offence against the president is an offence to our country and a disregard for all the democratic processes that we have carried out."

Villavicencio's remarks came after Trump issued a direct warning to Colombian President Petro, accusing him of being a drug trafficker.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said a potential operation against Colombia "sounds good to me."

Calling Colombia a "very sick" country run by a "sick man," he claimed, without providing evidence, that Petro was engaged in "making cocaine and selling it to the United States."

He added that Petro "is not going to be doing it very long."

The Colombian president has denied Trump's accusations, asserting that he has never been involved in drug trafficking.