Colombia has recalled its ambassador to the United States as tensions escalate between President Gustavo Petro and U.S. President Donald Trump, whose latest remarks and policy threats have plunged relations between the two longtime allies to their lowest point in decades.
The diplomatic fallout began after Trump on Sunday accused Petro of being an “illegal drug leader,” announcing plans to revoke U.S. aid to Colombia and impose new tariffs. The U.S. president said the measures would be detailed on Monday, framing them as punishment for what he described as Petro’s failure to curb narcotics trafficking.
In response, Petro accused Trump of murder and of violating Colombia’s sovereignty following a U.S. military strike on an alleged drug-running vessel in international waters that killed three people. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the boat was linked to the National Liberation Army (ELN), a Colombian armed group. Another U.S. attack on a semi-submersible vessel left two survivors, including a Colombian national.
Colombia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Monday that Ambassador Daniel García Peña had returned to Bogotá, adding that the government would make further announcements later in the day.
The exchange marks a sharp deterioration in U.S.-Colombia relations, once considered among the closest in the Western Hemisphere. Colombia received $740 million in U.S. aid in 2023—half of it for anti-drug operations—more than any other South American nation.
Last month, Washington decertified Colombia as an ally in the fight against drugs, prompting Bogotá to suspend arms purchases from the U.S., its largest military supplier.
Since taking office in 2022, Petro has pushed for a major shift in drug policy, arguing for a focus on social and economic reforms rather than forced coca eradication. However, under his administration, coca cultivation has surged by roughly 70 percent, according to figures from the Colombian government and the United Nations.
The growing war of words between Trump and Petro has now extended beyond diplomacy, threatening to upend decades of cooperation in security, trade, and regional policy.