Colombian President Gustavo Petro told an audience in Colombia on Thursday that "we are already being invaded."

His comments come after the US seized a rogue Venezuelan oil tanker.

Whilst Petro echoed comments made by his counterpart Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela he said "We don't need much support for that if the people want to free themselves from dictators, and we have freed ourselves from dictators in the Caribbean."

His comments come as his Foreign Minister announced that Colombia would be willing to take in Maduro if he left power in Venezuela.

The minister was replying to a question from a journalist and said that they must negotiate to find a way out of the tense situation in the Caribbean.

The tanker's seizure marked a dramatic escalation in President Donald Trump's campaign to pressure strongman Nicolás Maduro by cutting off access to oil revenues that have long been the lifeblood of Venezuela's economy.

It could also signal a broader U.S. campaign to clamp down on ships like the Skipper, which experts and U.S. officials say is part of a shadowy fleet of rusting oil tankers that smuggle oil for countries facing stiff sanctions, such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran.