WASHINGTON — The United States plans to provide $1 billion in security assistance to Colombia under newly inaugurated President Abelardo De La Espriella, the State Department said on Friday, signaling a sharp strengthening of security ties between Washington and Bogotá.
The package is intended to support De La Espriella's administration in pursuing shared security objectives, the State Department said, describing the planned assistance as part of a renewed bilateral partnership. The department said the United States would work with Congress on the package but did not provide a detailed breakdown of the funding.
“As a cornerstone of this renewed partnership, the United States, working with Congress, intends to announce $1 billion in assistance as part of a security package to support President De La Espriella's Administration in achieving our shared goals,” the State Department said.
De La Espriella, a 48-year-old political newcomer and ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, took office on Friday after narrowly winning Colombia's June presidential runoff. His inauguration in Cali marked the first time in modern Colombian history that a president was sworn in outside the country's congressional building in Bogotá.
The new president has pledged a tougher military response to armed groups and drug trafficking, rejecting the peace negotiations pursued by his predecessor, leftist President Gustavo Petro. In his inaugural address, De La Espriella said armed groups would have to submit to the rule of law or face a determined response from Colombian security forces.
The State Department also said the Trump administration welcomed Colombia into the “Shield of the Americas,” a U.S.-backed regional security initiative focused on combating drug trafficking. De La Espriella had previously said Colombia would join the program when he assumed office.
The move marks a significant shift from the relationship between Washington and Petro, whose government clashed repeatedly with Trump over counternarcotics policy and U.S. military operations. Petro, Colombia's first leftist president, has criticized Trump's approach to drug trafficking and did not recognize De La Espriella's election victory, according to Reuters.
De La Espriella has also promised to resume aerial eradication of coca crops and strengthen Colombia's security forces. He has said peace talks with armed groups are exhausted and pledged to combat criminal organizations through state security forces.
The United States sent a delegation led by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to De La Espriella's inauguration. The planned $1 billion security package now awaits work with Congress before the assistance can be formally announced and implemented.
