Trump and Colombian leader agree on joint counter-narcotic efforts after meeting

The nearly two-hour closed door meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Colombian leader Gustavo Petro ended cordially at the White House on Tuesday, a sign of warming relations after months of trading barbs over drug trafficking and US military attacks.

Speaking to reporters, Trump has described Petro as a "terrific" man.

(Reporter: Mr. President, how was your meeting with Gustavo Petro earlier today, and did you come to any agreement on counter-narcotic efforts?)

Trump said: "He and I weren't exactly the best of friends but I wasn't insulted because I never met him. I didn't know him at all. And we got along very well, and we are...we are working on that. We're working on some other things too, including sanctions. And yeah, we had a very good meeting."

Petro, who previously criticised the Pentagon's seizure of former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, said he and Trump discussed cooperation on stemming the flow of illegal drugs and ways to "reactivate Venezuela" through economic and energy projects, adding their meeting concluded with "a positive and optimistic view."

The Colombian president also said he wanted to put an 's' on the "Make America Great Again" cap that Trump gifted him, referring to the cultural and economic alignment of North and South America.