WASHINGTON / BOGOTÁ (Realist English). President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the United States would end all financial assistance to Colombia, accusing the country’s leader, Gustavo Petro, of failing to curb drug production and labeling him “an illegal drug dealer.”
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that Petro “does nothing to stop” the expansion of drug operations, despite “large-scale payments and subsidies from the USA,” which he called “a long-term rip-off of America.”
“As of today, these payments, or any other form of payment or subsidies, will no longer be made to Colombia,” Trump said, warning that Washington would “close up” narcotics operations “for him — and it won’t be done nicely.”
Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez rejected Trump’s remarks, saying Colombia has “used all its capabilities and lost men and women fighting drug trafficking.”
The confrontation marks a sharp deterioration in relations between the U.S. and one of its closest Latin American allies, already strained by a series of American airstrikes in the Caribbean targeting alleged drug smugglers.
Hours after Trump’s announcement, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the fifth strike in regional waters, saying it targeted a vessel linked to the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group. Three men aboard were reportedly killed. The ELN, designated a terrorist organization by Washington since 1997, has denied involvement in narcotics trafficking.
President Petro, who has sought to resume peace talks with the guerrilla group, accused the United States of assassination and violating Colombian sovereignty, after a similar strike last Thursday killed a fisherman near Santa Marta.
“The U.S. government has invaded our national territory and murdered a humble fisherman,” Petro wrote on X. “We await explanations from Washington.”
He said Colombia’s attorney general had been instructed to launch international legal proceedings against U.S. officials involved in the attacks.
The escalation follows months of growing tension. In September, the Trump administration accused Colombia of “failing to cooperate” in the war on drugs, though sanctions were temporarily waived. The United Nations has reported that coca cultivation in Colombia hit a record high in 2024, cementing its position as the world’s largest exporter of cocaine.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department recently revoked Petro’s visa after he urged American soldiers at a protest in New York to “disobey Trump’s orders.”
The latest U.S. strikes — six since early September — have killed at least 32 people, according to Colombian officials, fueling anti-American sentiment and calls in Bogotá for a review of the bilateral security partnership that has defined U.S.-Colombian relations for more than two decades.
