Marco Rubio Ends Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru Tour by Forging New Alliances
Marco Rubio concluded his tour of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru with a clear message: Washington is seeking to rebuild and deepen its alliances in South America around security, the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime, but also through new economic opportunities.
In all three countries, the U.S. secretary of state found governments—in Colombia and Peru with a change in government included—willing to strengthen cooperation with the Donald Trump administration and participate in regional initiatives promoted by Washington.
The tour, which began in Colombia and continued in Ecuador before ending in Peru, produced concrete announcements ranging from new equipment and resources to combat criminal organizations to agreements on strategic minerals, civilian nuclear energy, intelligence, and coordinated operations against drug-trafficking networks.
The result is a new map of regional cooperation in which the United States is seeking to regain influence, curb China’s influence, and consolidate partners in the face of the expansion of transnational crime and, at the same time, the Asian giant.
Marco Rubio ends Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru tour by forging new alliances
The first stop was Colombia, where Rubio met with President Abelardo de la Espriella in Barranquilla. The meeting served to relaunch a bilateral relationship that had suffered significant tensions during Gustavo Petro’s administration and now seeks to focus on security, investment, and trade.
Bogota proposed closer cooperation with Washington to combat drug trafficking through equipment, training, drones, radars, and other intelligence tools. De la Espriella also presented his security strategy, known as the 21st Century Patriot Plan, while both governments backed Colombia’s incorporation into the Shield of the Americas, the U.S. initiative aimed at coordinating intelligence and operations against transnational criminal organizations.
The so-called Barranquilla Agreements also included memorandums of understanding on critical minerals and rare earth supply chains, as well as strategic cooperation on civilian nuclear energy. These are sectors considered essential for advanced technologies, energy, and defense, and ones that Washington seeks to protect in the face of China’s growing presence in Latin America.
Reconstruction following the August 10 earthquake was also incorporated into the bilateral agenda, along with incentives to attract U.S. investment in infrastructure, housing, and energy. However, there was no agreement to remove U.S. tariffs on Colombian products, one of Bogota’s main expectations.
Ecuador deepens security alliance
In Ecuador, Rubio found perhaps the partner most willing to advance operational cooperation against drug trafficking, after years of internal conflict and growing violence that has dominated the South American country.
In this regard, the secretary of state announced that he will ask the U.S. Congress for an additional US$45 million to support Ecuador’s efforts against criminal organizations and drug trafficking.
The package includes the delivery of one Coast Guard cutter and five interceptor boats, which will join seven others previously provided by the United States. Washington also plans to allocate US$10 million to address activities linked to illegal gold mining, the recruitment of young people by criminal gangs, and illicit financial operations.
Rubio also announced the designation of Los Tiguerones as a foreign terrorist organization and sanctions against seven former Ecuadorian officials accused of corruption. Cooperation between the two countries includes operations against maritime drug trafficking and increased information sharing to pursue criminal organizations.
Peru joins the Shield of the Americas
The final stop, in Lima, produced another of the tour’s central announcements: the new president, Keiko Fujimori, confirmed that Peru will join the Shield of the Americas. The decision will allow for expanded intelligence sharing and coordinated action against transnational criminal organizations.
Cooperation is also advancing in the area of defense. The United States had already designated Peru as a major non-NATO ally and has proposed a possible US$1.5 billion investment in design and construction work at the naval base in Callao.
On the economic front, Lima sought relief during the visit from the new U.S. tariffs affecting some of its agricultural exports.
The trade discussion also took place as China increases its economic weight in Peru, with bilateral trade growing 35% during the first half of the year.
As he concluded his tour, Rubio thus delivered a political and strategic signal: the United States wants its relations with South America to once again be grounded in direct cooperation, shared intelligence, the fight against drug trafficking, and strategic economic ties, regaining ground lost to China in a competition between the two giants to control the region.
Against this backdrop, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru now appear as central pieces of this new regional architecture.
