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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One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a fresh attack on Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, Saudi authorities reported, a day after a strike claimed by Yemen's Houthis killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
The Kremlin on Monday rejected a 60-day ceasefire idea proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to allow his country to hold presidential elections, saying it wanted an overall peace deal instead.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
An explosion and fire have been reported at a major underground gas pipeline in Russia’s Penza region on 13 October, according to UA News, as cited by Azerbaijan’s APA news agency. The reports have not been independently verified.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined high school students protesting outside a school in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis on Tuesday, as a wave of student demonstrations continues across France.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited a newly opened defence museum displaying weapons developed under his leadership, including an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.
Southeast Asian foreign ministers are set to discuss measures to tackle transboundary haze during preparatory meetings ahead of the ASEAN summit in November, as forest and land fires in Indonesia continue to affect air quality across the region, the Philippines said on Tuesday.
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