Overview
- President Donald Trump announced an immediate stop to all U.S. payments and subsidies to Colombia, calling past assistance a long-term scam and threatening to unilaterally shut drug production zones.
- The Pentagon confirmed a recent Caribbean strike on a vessel it said was linked to the ELN, reporting three presumed rebels killed, while Petro says a Colombian fisherman, Alejandro Carranza, was wrongly killed in Colombian waters.
- Colombia recalled its ambassador to Washington for consultations and the Foreign Ministry said it will pursue international avenues to defend national sovereignty.
- Trump allies, including Senator Lindsey Graham, signaled imminent tariffs on Colombian exports, with the White House indicating new economic measures are under consideration.
- Despite the rupture, Petro met with U.S. chargé d’affaires John McNamara in Bogotá, and both sides affirmed a commitment to improve coordination on counter-narcotics strategies.