Colombian President Gustavo Petro stated on Monday that his country’s Armed Forces will no longer depend on U.S. weaponry, after announcing that Washington had made a political decision to decertify Colombia in the fight against drug trafficking.

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“The Colombian Army and its Armed Forces’ dependence on U.S. weaponry is over. No more handouts or gifts. They already decertified us, that’s the decision. The Colombian Army will do better if it buys its weapons or makes them with our own resources, because otherwise it will not be an army of national sovereignty,” Petro said during a televised cabinet meeting.

He criticized Washington’s decision to revoke Colombia’s certification, saying his administration had overseen the largest cocaine seizures on record and that the move was driven by politics, not performance.

According to him, Colombia’s right-wing sympathizers, who are actually tied to drug trafficking, influenced U.S. officials by appealing to ideology rather than measurable results.

The U.S. certification process, in place since 1986, reviews the counter-narcotics performance of about twenty drug-producing nations. This year, the Trump administration opted to decertify Colombia, alleging that Bogotá had “blatantly failed” to uphold its obligations under international agreements.

Even so, Washington emphasized that aid to Colombia would continue, calling the partnership “vital to U.S. national interests.”

Petro downplayed the consequences, stressing that decertification “comes without sanctions.” He suggested the real impact would need to be evaluated over time.

Colombian authorities countered by highlighting their results: in 2024, security forces seized 889 tons of cocaine—the highest annual total in the country’s history and one of the largest worldwide, according to Police Director General Carlos Fernando Triana.

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