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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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President Donald Trump has said the U.S. will cut off funding and "any other form of payment" to Colombia after the South American country's president accused the U.S. of killing a Colombian national in the White House's drug-trafficking crackdown.
Why It Matters
Petro earlier on Sunday accused Washington of "murder" after the U.S. military struck an alleged drug-trafficking vessel in what Washington said were international waters in mid-September.
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Petro said the White House had violated Colombian sovereignty and killed a Colombian fisherman, named by the president as Alejandro Carranza, in its waters in the second of several strikes Trump has acknowledged close to Colombia and Venezuela since the start of September. Petro said Carranza had "no ties to the drug trade."
What To Know
Trump on Sunday called Gustavo Petro an "illegal drug dealer" and accused the Colombian leader of "strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields." The Republican alleged Petro, a left-wing leader who has repeatedly criticized the White House, had not acted to stymie the drug trade in Colombia, "despite large-scale payments and subsidies from the USA."
As of Sunday, "these payments, or any other form of payment, or subsidies, will no longer be made" to the country, Trump said in a post to his Truth Social platform.
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The Trump administration last month said Colombia had "demonstrably failed" to do enough to combat drug trafficking, but did not at the time halt the flow of U.S. aid to the country. A U.S. program dubbed Plan Colombia was established in 2000 to battle drug trafficking.
The Republican has vowed to home in on drug trafficking into the U.S., committing significant U.S. military assets into the southern Caribbean—including stealth fighter jets and a submarine—and carrying out a string of strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels. International observers and some lawmakers have expressed concern the American attacks may violate international law.
The White House's hostility has been particularly focused on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, with Trump authorizing the CIA to carry out covert operations on land in the country.
Trump said at the time of the strike in Colombian waters that the U.S. had targeted "confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela" in international waters, killing three people.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump said on Saturday that U.S. forces had hit "a very large drug-carrying submarine" en route to the U.S. two days earlier, killing two people. One Colombian national and one Ecuadorian citizen survived the strike and were being returned to their home countries, the president said. Petro confirmed Colombia had received the body of its national.
"Petro, a low rated and very unpopular leader, with a fresh mouth toward America, better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely," Trump said.
Update 10/19/2025 at 9:45 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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