Colombia's President Abelardo de la Espriella on Saturday called on U.S. President Donald Trump to temporarily suspend tariffs on Colombian products, citing the country's recovery from a deadly earthquake that struck Monday.
De la Espriella said he spoke with Trump for approximately ten minutes in a conversation he described as "very friendly and cordial." During the call, Trump expressed his condolences over deaths from the 7.4-magnitude earthquake, according to the Colombian president.
"I asked him to consider to temporarily suspend the high tariffs that are affecting Colombian products, in order to give some relief to our business owners, who are facing very difficult times due to the effects of the earthquake," De la Espriella said in a statement posted on X.
U.S. tariffs on Colombian products increased from 10 percent to 12.5 percent on July 24, with exceptions including coffee and oil. The increased duties replaced an expiring global tariff implemented earlier by the Trump administration.
De la Espriella thanked Trump for humanitarian assistance and rescue team support provided by the United States. "I told him that we have a huge challenge ahead of us," the Colombian leader said of the conversation.
The earthquake on Monday killed at least 294 people, according to authorities. De la Espriella has been in contact with various regional and international leaders regarding the disaster and its aftermath, sharing details of these conversations publicly.
The Colombian president framed the tariff suspension request as a temporary measure aimed at easing pressure on business owners struggling with earthquake-related hardship. He emphasized that the country is in recovery mode following the natural disaster that struck the western part of Colombia.
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