Rubio Slams Petro, says Colombia’s new administration inherited nation crippled by ‘disasters’

Laura Gamba

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a scathing critique of former Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday during a visit to Colombia, saying President Abelardo De La Espriella’s new administration had inherited a nation crippled by “a series of disasters” stemming from the previous four years of governance.

Speaking alongside De La Espriella in the coastal city of Barranquilla following a high-level bilateral summit, Rubio framed the visit as a historic reset after what he characterized as an anomalous and fractured chapter in relations between Washington and Bogota.

“We have a lot of work to do, because unfortunately, this administration has inherited a series of disasters and poor decisions that were made,” he told reporters.

“To a certain extent, we felt the same way when we took office a year and a half ago. But you are dealing with the mistakes of the past four years, and you have to fix them.”

The rebuke underscored a sweeping geopolitical realignment under De La Espriella, who has rapidly moved to reverse the core pillars of Petro’s administration by aligning Bogota with Washington’s strategic priorities on security, trade and regional defense.

“This high-level meeting confirms, through concrete actions and unwavering determination, that the strategic alliance between Colombia and the United States is stronger than ever,” De La Espriella declared.

Security dominated the summit agenda, culminating in the framework of the newly minted “Barranquilla Accords.” De La Espriella signaled his intent to re-establish Colombia as the US’s primary partner in hemispheric security. The initiative aims to upgrade the Colombian Armed Forces’ capabilities across advanced aviation, air defense, radar networks, drones, cyber defense and special forces operations.

Rubio signaled immediate US backing for the initiative, emphasizing that strengthening Colombian security directly protects American national interests.

“Without security, a country cannot progress, and the security threats facing Colombia are the same ones we face in the United States — the same networks, the same criminal groups,” he said.

In a total departure from Petro’s progressive drug policies, De La Espriella announced an aggressive escalation of the offensive against drug trafficking and transnational cartels.

“We are going to start fumigating. We are going after the laboratories, the precursors, the routes, the drug kingpins and the narco-terrorist armed organizations,” he said, confirming a return to aerial eradication.

He added that his administration will prioritize prosecuting money launderers, seizing illicit assets and expanding judicial and financial intelligence sharing with US agencies.

Prior to the joint statements, Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula and Rubio formalized the shift by signing a strategic memorandum of understanding designed to secure supply chains for critical minerals and rare earth elements.