Colombia's Petro says aid cut would mean nothing, but military cut could have effect

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 mo