By Luis Jaime Acosta
BOGOTA (Reuters) -Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said on Thursday that a suspension of aid from the United States would mean nothing to his country, but that changes to military aid could have an effect on capacity.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened over the weekend to raise tariffs on the South American country and said Wednesday that all funding to the South American country had been halted.
Colombia was once among the largest recipients of U.S. aid in the Western Hemisphere, but the flow of money was suddenly curtailed this year by the shuttering of USAID, the U.S. government’s humanitarian assistance arm. Military cooperation has continued.
“What happens if they take away aid? In my opinion, nothing,” Petro told journalists, adding aid funding often moved through U.S. agencies.
But a cut to military cooperation would matter, he added.
“We lose capacity. And that capacity has to do with being dependent on the aid,” Petro said.
Petro has objected to the U.S. military’s strikes against vessels in the Caribbean, which have killed dozens of people and inflamed tensions in the region. Many legal experts and human rights activists have also condemned the actions.
Trump has responded by calling Petro an “illegal drug leader” and a “bad guy” – language Petro’s government says is offensive.
Though Trump has not yet announced any further tariffs – Colombian goods are currently subject to a 10% rate – he said on Wednesday he may take “very serious action” against the country.
(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta, additional reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb and Nelson Bocanegra)
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