The recent announcement of US President Donald Trump to impose a 25% tariff on any nation that bought oil and gas from Venezuela further away the possibility that Colombia considers the importation of gas from the neighboring country.
Although a formal agreement between Colombia and Venezuela has not been completed to import gas, the measure proposed by Trump complicates the government’s plans, that he had already announced that since this year Ecopetrol would import natural gas due to lack of supply.
Trump justified the decision for migration from Venezuela and the presence of criminal gang members in the United States. In his social networks, Trump confirmed that the measure will enter into force since April 2, 2025.
“If Colombia, contravening Trump’s decision, dared to challenge and import gas from Venezuela, its impact would be devastating, since USA is still our main commercial partner. Colombia does not matter either oil or fuel from the neighboring country. This measure further moves the possibility of importing natural gas from Venezuela; If before that option was now it becomes impossible.
This tariff would especially affect countries like China, one of the largest Venezuelan oil buyers. Venezuelan oil exports rose to a maximum of five years in February, before the Trump administration forced Chevron Corp. to close their operations in that country.
According to Bloomberg, this decision is not isolated, as Trump announced the measures after Venezuela once again accepted deportation flights to the United States. The president said that “Venezuela has sent on purpose and with deception to the United States, covert, tens of thousands of high -level criminals, and other types, many of whom are murderers and people of a very violent nature,” including members of the Aragua train.
Manuel Camilo González, Professor of International Relations at the Javeriana University, suggests that the measures force Colombia to explore other oil import options worldwide, like Algeria or the Gulf countries. “This, with their respective implications in the price to the consumer or on the other hand to reactivate the exploration and exploitation plan that Ecopetrol He had advanced before the Petro government will stop such initiatives to meet domestic demand. ”
The expert added that the applied tariffs could be in the line of which Trump threatened to place in the middle of the tensions of last January, in which he was about to tax up to 50% of Colombian exports.
The decisions occur in the midst of the loss of gas self -sufficiency that the country had for more than 40 years.
The US Secretary of Commerce is authorized to determine whether a country has imported Venezuelan oil, directly or indirectly; Issue regulations, orientations and determinations as necessary to apply this order; coordinate with the bosses of other departments and executive agencies to ensure compliance; and take any additional action consisting with the applicable law to carry out the purposes of this order.
