Diplomacy & Geopolitics
Marco Rubio pledges to restore US-Colombia ties
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged Tuesday to restore US-Colombia relations as he opened a three-country Latin America tour with talks in Barranquilla with Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella.
Rubio said an unnatural “distance” had developed between Washington and Bogota under former president Gustavo Petro. He said the two countries now had an opportunity to restore their “natural relations” and move into a phase of cooperation that would be “even stronger” than before.
The United States and Colombia signed agreements on critical minerals supply chains and civilian nuclear cooperation. Rubio also said talks on military cooperation were under way and that Colombia could use help with equipment, specialised training and intelligence.
De la Espriella said the countries were resuming a historic partnership that had been “interrupted for four years,” and that Bogota wanted to become Washington’s leading security partner in South America. Since taking office after his June election victory, he has expanded military cooperation with Washington and intensified operations against drug trafficking groups.
Rubio said the new Colombian government had inherited “a series of disasters” and was confronting “the mistakes of the last four years,” a criticism of Petro’s administration. Relations between the United States and Colombia had weakened during Petro’s term, with Petro and President Donald Trump trading barbs on social media and Washington threatening to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in security funding.
The Colombia stop is part of Rubio’s tour of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru after elections brought pro-US right-wing leaders to power in the region. Rubio said before leaving Miami that political shifts in Colombia and elsewhere were part of “a trend” of alignment with the United States and US interests.
Washington is seeking closer security and economic ties with friendly governments in Latin America and has made countering the influence of China, Russia and Iran a priority. In an opinion piece published Tuesday in newspapers across the region, Rubio warned that outside powers, particularly China, had entered the hemisphere with promises that concealed “predatory practices.”
After Colombia, Rubio is due to travel to Ecuador to meet President Daniel Noboa and discuss joint efforts against drug trafficking and organised crime. He will then head to Peru, led since July by President Keiko Fujimori, where he is expected to advance the “Shield of the Americas,” a US-backed security partnership aimed at coordinating regional efforts against drug trafficking and transnational crime.
Update
Marco Rubio said discussions with Bogota on military cooperation were under way and that Colombia could use help with equipment, specialised training and intelligence.
Since taking office after his June election victory, Abelardo de la Espriella has expanded military cooperation with Washington and intensified operations against drug trafficking groups.
Rubio said Peru, now a major non-NATO ally, was being brought into the US-backed Shield of the Americas initiative.
Source note: AFP news report published on 9 September 2026 at 01:29:55 UTC.
Update
Rubio described recent political shifts in the region as part of a trend toward alignment with the United States and US interests.
Rubio published an opinion piece warning that outside powers, particularly China, used promises that concealed “predatory practices.”
Rubio is due to discuss drug trafficking and organized crime with Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa.
Rubio said the United States was bringing Peru into the “Shield of the Americas” security initiative.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 22:24:15 UTC.
Update
Marco Rubio spoke in Barranquilla after talks with Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella.
Agreements were signed on critical minerals supply chains and civilian nuclear cooperation.
Rubio said the two countries could restore their relationship and enter a stronger phase of cooperation.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 21:31:47 UTC.
Update
Marco Rubio vowed to restore US-Colombia ties after what he called leftist mistakes.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 21:13:39 UTC.
Update
Marco Rubio arrived in Colombia at the start of a Latin America tour that also includes Ecuador and Peru.
Rubio is due to meet Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella in Barranquilla.
Colombia has authorised joint military operations with the United States since De la Espriella took office, according to the source item.
Rubio is also expected to discuss reconstruction after an August 10 earthquake in Colombia's coffee-growing region.
Colombia has requested US assistance and a suspension of customs duties to support reconstruction.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 18:08:28 UTC.
Update
Marco Rubio said in an op-ed that Peru was being received into the Shield of the Americas as an important non-NATO ally.
Rubio argued in regional newspapers for Latin American countries to choose the United States over China as a trading and defense partner.
Rubio accused unnamed China-backed actors of predatory practices in the region.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 17:29:30 UTC.
Update
Peru has joined the Shield of the Americas anti-cartel coalition, according to Marco Rubio.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 16:43:36 UTC.
Update
Rubio said the trip was part of a trend of alignment with the United States and US interests in the Western Hemisphere.
Rubio said the trip would focus on taking on regional transnational criminal terrorists and economic engagement, and that the United States hoped to complete trade deals.
The source added that US strikes against vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have killed more than 200 people.
The administration has not provided evidence against the vessels, drawing accusations that the strikes amount to extrajudicial killings.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 16:03:58 UTC.
Update
Colombia's Foreign Minister Omar Bula said the visit would begin rebuilding a strategic alliance with the United States and focus on security, trade and Western values.
The tour is scheduled to include Colombia, Ecuador and Peru from Tuesday to Thursday.
The source describes Washington's regional approach as linked to a new US National Security Strategy and what it calls the "Donroe Doctrine".
In Ecuador, Rubio is due to meet President Daniel Noboa as Washington and Quito carry out operations against boats they say are linked to Los Choneros.
The source says US strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels over the past year have killed more than 200 people and drawn accusations of extrajudicial killings.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 14:15:27 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
Further US military assistance to Colombia was described as under discussion; its terms and timing remain unclear.
Source
AFP news report published on .