Overview
- President Donald Trump announced the immediate suspension of all U.S. payments and subsidies to Colombia, accused President Gustavo Petro of being a leader of narcotrafficking, and warned the U.S. would close drug-producing areas by force if Bogotá does not act.
- Colombia’s Foreign Ministry rejected the U.S. statements as a threat to national sovereignty and recalled Ambassador Daniel García‑Peña to Bogotá for consultations, signaling the sharpest downturn in relations in years.
- U.S. defense officials said a recent Caribbean operation killed three suspected ELN rebels in international waters, while Petro alleges a separate U.S. strike killed Colombian fisherman Alejandro Carranza in Colombia’s waters and has demanded accountability.
- The rupture follows earlier U.S. steps this year, including decertifying Colombia on counternarcotics grounds and revoking visas for Petro and officials, as well as a regional military deployment that Washington frames as antidrug operations.
- Senator Lindsey Graham said Trump told him the administration plans significant tariffs on Colombia as soon as this week, indicating additional economic pressure on top of the aid cutoff.