US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he would cut aid to Colombia, accusing its left-leaning leader of being an “illegal drug dealer.”
Tensions were already high between Washington and Bogotá over President Gustavo Petro’s attempts to curb drug trafficking, threatening the countries’ close security and commercial relations.
The spat stems from Trump’s aggressive approach to cutting off the flow of drugs from Latin America to the US: Petro had criticized the US for striking a boat in Colombian waters.
Petro has sought to negotiate with Colombian guerrilla groups, but the strategy has so far failed to reduce violence or cocaine production, Bloomberg wrote.
Cocaine is booming globally, with most originating from Colombia.
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