23/06/2026 03:47 - Internacionales
The provisional count of Colombia's runoff election, granting victory to right-wing outsider Abelardo de la Espriella with 49.66% of votes, marks one of the most significant realignments in recent years regarding Latin America's affinity with the United States. If the final count confirms this victory, he would join a series of results favorable to Trump's policies in recent months.
Donald Trump's foreign policy, with coercive mechanisms such as tariff wars, migration offensives, and military deployment in the Caribbean, became more confrontational than during his first term. In this context, the bloc that consolidated most was the Shield of the Americas, a security alliance that held its first forum in Miami with participation from:
The Argentine president is Trump's closest ally in the region. Luis Caputo, Economy Minister, said Milei is probably his "number one fan." Trump called him his "favorite president" and supported him during the midterm campaign. Argentina signed a Reciprocal Trade and Investment Agreement and a joint patrol agreement for the South Atlantic.
"I love him because he loves Trump. I love everyone who loves me" — Donald Trump
El Salvador's president strengthened his role by accepting deportees at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT). In the first months of 2026, U.S. deportations doubled compared to the same period in 2025. Bukele was the first Latin American leader officially received in the Oval Office after Trump's inauguration.
Ecuador is a key ally in the fight against drug trafficking. In 2025, the U.S. designated Ecuadorian gangs Los Lobos and Los Choneros as foreign terrorist organizations. Noboa traveled to Mar-a-Lago before the runoff where he defeated Luisa González. Both countries conduct joint operations against criminal groups.
Abelardo de la Espriella, a 47-year-old criminal lawyer, won with 12,959,515 votes (49.66%) against 12,708,695 (48.70%) for Iván Cepeda. He founded the Defensores de la Patria movement in July 2025. His Patria Milagro program includes destroying 330,000 hectares of coca and reducing the State by 25%. He assumes office on August 7, 2026.
The Brazilian president, historic leader of the Latin American left, maintains a pragmatic foreign policy. Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian products to pressure for the trial against Jair Bolsonaro. Tensions de-escalated after bilateral meetings. However, Trump received Flávio Bolsonaro in Washington and designated two Brazilian criminal gangs as terrorists.
Key upcoming election: Brazil will choose between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro.
Mexico shares more than 3,000 kilometers of border with the U.S. and 80% of its exports depend on the American market. Sheinbaum managed to pause the highest tariffs and combines border cooperation with historic extraditions of drug traffickers. She did not accept U.S. soldiers on Mexican territory.
Nicaragua's co-presidents have been on the list of antagonistic leaders to Trump since his first term. Washington issues periodic sanctions against Sandinista government officials. Ortega maintains an openly anti-American stance and closeness with Havana and Beijing.
Washington's pressure reached levels unseen since the Cold War. The U.S. reinstated economic sanctions, returned Cuba to the list of state sponsors of terrorism, and applied a oil blockade. In May 2026, they filed charges against Raúl Castro.
Following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, interim president Delcy Rodríguez sent messages of dialogue toward Washington. Venezuela accepted conditions for partial lifting of oil and financial sanctions, stopped sending oil to Cuba, and approved an amnesty law for political prisoners. The U.S. Embassy in Caracas resumed some operations.
According to Mónica Hirst, Doctor in Strategic Studies and researcher at the State University of Rio de Janeiro: "MAGA moves by impulses. In a moment of crisis of regionalism and preference for bilateralism, each link is unique, each relationship is negotiated directly, without collective frameworks".
The region is experiencing a crisis of multilateralism that favors the bilateralism promoted by Trump, in a scenario marked by the economic and diplomatic expansion of China.
Source: CNN en Español | Date: June 22, 2026
Alfredo S. Quiroga
