Move FM Global News

BOGOTA, Colombia: Colombia has recalled its ambassador from Washington after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would raise tariffs on Colombian goods and stop all financial aid to the country.

The move has worsened tensions between the two nations, which began after U.S. military strikes targeted boats accused of carrying drugs.

Trump also called Colombia’s leftist president, Gustavo Petro, an “illegal drug leader,” a remark that Colombia’s government called offensive and unacceptable. The foreign ministry said Ambassador Daniel Garcia-Peña has been recalled for talks in Bogotá, and that new decisions will be announced soon.

President Petro has strongly criticized the U.S. military strikes in the Caribbean, saying they have killed dozens of innocent people and worsened regional tensions. Many legal and human rights experts have also condemned the attacks.

Trump said U.S. aid to Colombia would be cut off and that new tariffs would be announced soon, though he did not specify which funds would be affected. Colombia used to receive large amounts of U.S. aid, but that support dropped sharply this year after the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was shut down.

No new tariffs have been announced so far. Petro recently met with the top U.S. diplomat in Bogotá, John McNamara, but no details of their conversation were released.

Currently, Colombia pays a 10 percent tariff on most exports to the U.S. The United States is Colombia’s biggest trading partner — 35 percent of Colombia’s exports go to the U.S., and about 70 percent of Colombia’s imports from the U.S. are goods not made locally.

Colombia’s foreign ministry said it will seek international support for President Petro and the country’s independence. Petro first became known as a senator who exposed ties between right-wing paramilitary groups and corrupt politicians involved in drug trafficking.

Over the weekend. Petro condemned another U.S. bombing that killed three people, saying the victims were a “humble family,” not members of a rebel group as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had claimed.

“Mr. Trump, Colombia has never disrespected the United States, but you are being rude and ignorant toward us,” Petro said on X. “I am not a businessman or a drug trafficker. I have no greed in my heart.”

Petro has promised to reduce coca cultivation through a combination of social programs and military action, but his plan has been ineffective so far.

Following the diplomatic fallout, Colombia’s currency fell 1.28 percent to 3,883 pesos per U.S. dollar on October 20.

Colombia, which exports oil, coal, coffee, flowers, and bananas, reported a US$338 million trade deficit with the U.S. between January and July. During the first half of the year, U.S. investors poured $2.27 billion into Colombia, making up about 34 percent of total foreign investment.