Colombia has recalled its ambassador to the United States amid an escalating diplomatic crisis, as tensions between Presidents Gustavo Petro and Donald Trump deepen over drug policy, aid, and trade threats.
The Colombian Foreign Ministry confirmed Monday that Ambassador Daniel García Peña has returned to Bogotá for consultations, signaling a sharp downturn in relations between the two long-standing allies. The ministry said further announcements would follow “in due course.”
The move came a day after President Trump vowed to cut off US aid to Colombia and impose new tariffs, accusing the leftist leader of being an “illegal drug leader.” The former US president, who returned to office in January, claimed Petro had “failed to stop narco-trafficking” and suggested his government was “profiting from it.”
Trump’s remarks coincided with the US military’s announcement that it had intercepted an alleged drug-running vessel in international waters, reportedly linked to Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation resulted in three deaths, describing it as part of an ongoing anti-narcotics campaign in the Caribbean.
That strike followed another recent engagement involving a semi-submersible vessel, which left two survivors — one of them Colombian.
President Petro, who has repeatedly clashed with Trump since his return to power, condemned the deadly operation, accusing Washington of “murder” and of violating Colombia’s sovereignty.
“The United States cannot claim to defend democracy while killing Colombians in international waters,” Petro said in a televised address Sunday night.
The sharp exchange marks the lowest point in US–Colombian relations in decades. The two nations — once close partners in Washington’s “war on drugs” — have seen ties deteriorate rapidly over differing visions for how to combat narcotics trafficking.
In September, the Trump administration decertified Colombia as a reliable partner in the fight against drugs, prompting Bogotá to suspend arms purchases from the United States — its largest military supplier.
Colombia, which received $740 million in US aid in 2023, has historically been Washington’s top aid recipient in South America, with roughly half of that funding dedicated to anti-drug operations.
Since taking office in 2022, President Petro has advocated for a “paradigm shift” in the war on drugs — prioritizing social investment and rural development over forced eradication of coca crops.
However, under his administration, coca cultivation has surged by about 70%, according to estimates from the Colombian government and the United Nations.
As rhetoric hardens on both sides, analysts warn that the once-stable alliance between Bogotá and Washington now faces its most severe test in decades, with trade, security, and counter-narcotics cooperation all hanging in the balance.
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