U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that Washington’s sanctions against Colombian President Gustavo Petro were not intended to harm the country’s citizens or its economy.
On Friday, the United States blacklisted Petro and his family, accusing him of empowering and protecting “narco terrorists.”
Speaking to reporters while traveling from Israel to Qatar, Rubio emphasised that the United States maintains a “strong and enduring” relationship with the Colombian people and key national institutions, particularly its security forces.
The U.S. military has recently stepped up operations in the southern Caribbean, targeting vessels in international waters that it claims — without providing evidence — are involved in drug trafficking. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump called Petro an “illegal drug leader” after the leftist president accused the U.S. of “murder” over those strikes.
“This is not a U.S.-versus-Colombia issue,” Rubio said, referring to the sanctions. He explained that the Trump administration was responding to what it viewed as a hostile stance from Petro but added, “We separate that from the people of Colombia. That’s why there are no tariffs or economic penalties — we don’t want to harm the Colombian economy.”
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