Secretary of State Marco Rubio kicked off his three-nation tour of Latin America on Tuesday, first meeting with Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella. He will visit Ecuador and Peru later this week, supporting the Trump administration's increasing engagement with a growing bloc of right-leaning governments aligned with the US.
At their meeting in the coastal city of Barranquilla, de la Espriella said he and Rubio discussed security cooperation against drug trafficking, improved economic ties and an expanded role for Colombia in what he called "bulletproofing the hemisphere." He said Colombia would be an ally to the US on neighboring Venezuela.
El secretario de Estado Marco Rubio y el presidente Abelardo de la Espriella firmaron en Barranquilla acuerdos estratégicos de enorme peso: minerales críticos y cooperación nuclear civil.
— Jhonf Fonseca (@Jhonffonseca) September 9, 2026
Colombia deja de mirar hacia atrás y se sienta en la mesa grande. El Tigre no llegó a pedir… pic.twitter.com/NPcQvReZcc
"Colombia wants to newly consolidate itself as the principal hemispheric partner for the United States on security," said de la Espriella, who took office on August 7 after beating former socialist President Gustavo Petro.
De la Espriella is among a new generation of right-wing leaders recently elected across South America, reflecting a once-in-a-generation political shift likely influenced by the Trump administration's effort to rid the West of socialist and Chinese influence.
Rubio said the White House hoped to restore cooperation and "perhaps to build upon it," addin
