Trump suspends US aid to Colombia, labels Petro 'drug leader'

Significant tension has erupted between Colombia and the United States after President Donald Trump accused his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, of being "a drug leader", announcing the suspension of all economic aid to the country.

In a series of posts on the Truth Social Network on Sunday, Trump referred to Petro as "an illegal drug dealer" who is "low-rated and very unpopular” and claimed that funds allocated to Colombia "are nothing more than a long-term scam."

"As of today, these payments, or any other form of payment or subsidies, will no longer be made to Colombia." Trump also issued a threat, warning Petro to "better close up drug operations, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won't be done nicely."

President Petro responded Sunday by stating the US president is being "misled" by his advisors. Petro also indicated that he was the one who uncovered alleged links between drug trafficking and political power in Colombia.

Trump's message followed remarks by Petro concerning a recent US strike on a vessel in Caribbean waters near Venezuela. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had announced the vessel was associated with the Colombian rebel group, the National Liberation Army (ELN).

Petro denied this claim, stating the boat belonged to "fishermen from Santa Marta" and "a humble family, a lover of the sea, from where he extracted his food," and emphasised, "He was a humble human being."

These remarks mark the latest clash with Bogota in a series of confrontations since Trump's return to the White House.

Previous escalations include the US decision to eliminate Colombia from the list of countries that fight against drugs and the revocation of the Colombian president's visa in late September, following statements Petro made during the UN General Assembly week in New York.

With Hegseth's announcement, at least 32 people have been killed in recent strikes, which the US claims are targeting alleged drug traffickers.

The US claims that its operations have dealt a decisive blow to drug trafficking, but has provided no evidence that those killed in the attacks were drug traffickers.

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Source: TRT