WASHINGTON, DC - In an abrupt escalation of diplomatic tension, the United States declared on October 19, 2025 that it will halt all payments, subsidies and aid to Colombia, accusing President Gustavo Petro of actively “encouraging the massive production of drugs” and failing to protect the United States from the flow of illicit narcotics. 

In his post on Truth Social, President Trump wrote:

“President Gustavo Petro, of Colombia, is an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs … AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLUMBIA. … Petro … better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely.” 

The allegation comes amid a broader U.S. counternarcotics and military campaign in the southern Caribbean and off the coast of Venezuela, where U.S. forces have repeatedly conducted strikes on vessels smuggling drugs — and indeed the U.S. has characterized this activity as part of a “non-international armed conflict” against “narco-terrorists.” In recent weeks the U.S. has executed multiple strikes near Venezuelan waters.

Hours after Trump's post, Petro rejected the accusations and defended Colombia's counter-narcotics efforts. Petro wrote that "trying to promote peace in Colombia is not being a drug trafficker" and described himself as "the main enemy" of drugs in his country.

Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez defended Petro, stating "If there's a country that has used all its capabilities and also lost men and women fighting drug trafficking ... it's Colombia."

Venezuela Connection and Regional Military Buildup

The Caribbean operations are part of a broader U.S. campaign targeting narco-terrorism emanating from Venezuela. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was indicted in Manhattan federal court in 2020 on charges of narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and corruption, with prosecutors alleging he led the "Cartel of the Suns" and "expressly intended to flood the United States with cocaine."

The Trump administration has doubled the reward for Maduro's arrest to $50 million, with Attorney General Pam Bondi accusing him of being one of the world's largest narco-traffickers. The Justice Department has seized more than $700 million in assets linked to Maduro, including two private jets, and nearly 7 tons of seized cocaine have been traced directly to the Venezuelan leader.

Since late August, the U.S. has deployed guided missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and about 6,500 troops to the Caribbean region with the stated goal of combating drug trafficking. On Wednesday, three B-52 bombers took off from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana and flew for hours near the coast of Venezuela in what appears to be a major show of force.

Colombia's Delicate Position

Colombia's relationship with the United States has historically been close, making the current rupture particularly significant. The Andean country had previously been Washington's most reliable ally in South America on national security and defense.

Last month, the State Department revoked Petro's visa while he was in New York for the U.N. General Assembly because of his participation in a protest where he called on American soldiers to stop following Trump's commands, saying "I ask all the soldiers of the United States' army, don't point your rifles against humanity."

🛑 Colombia is the world's largest exporter of cocaine, and the cultivation of coca leaves reached an all-time high last year, according to the United Nations. President Petro’s government is left-leaning and historically rooted in the Marxist M-19 guerrilla movement.