US President Donald Trump accused Colombian President Gustavo Petro of being involved in the illegal drug trade and announced the termination of significant payments and subsidies to Colombia. Trump stated that the purpose of drug production in Colombia was to flood the United States with drugs, leading to fatalities and chaos, in a post on Truth Social.
The specifics of the payments mentioned by Trump were not immediately confirmed by Reuters. Colombia was previously a major recipient of financial assistance from the US but faced a sudden reduction in aid this year following the closure of USAID, the American government’s humanitarian aid agency.
The Colombian embassy in Washington, DC did not provide an immediate response to requests for comments. The US State Department deferred inquiries to the White House, which did not promptly address the matter.
Tensions between Bogota and Washington escalated after Trump’s return to power. Petro had his visa revoked by the United States last month after participating in a pro-Palestinian rally in New York and urging US military personnel to defy Trump’s directives.
Despite Petro’s pledge last year to address coca cultivation areas in Colombia through extensive social and military interventions, the efforts have yielded limited results.
Trump, in September, identified countries like Afghanistan, Bolivia, Burma, Colombia, and Venezuela as those that had significantly failed to meet counternarcotics agreements. He held Colombia’s political leadership responsible for the country’s shortcomings in drug control.
Trump reiterated his accusations against Petro, labeling him as an unlawful figure promoting drug production. He emphatically declared the cessation of payments and subsidies to Colombia in his recent post, emphasizing that no future financial assistance would be provided.
This article was last updated on Oct 19, 2025, at 20:53 IST.