Barranquilla, Colombia - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday pledged to "restore" ties with Bogota after four years of leftist rule, on day one of a three-nation tour aimed at bolstering conservative allies in Latin America.

The trip to Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru comes after a series of elections brought pro-US, right-wing leaders to power.

After talks with President Abelardo de la Espriella in the Caribbean city of Barranquilla, Rubio said an unnatural "distance" had developed between the US and Colombia under former President Gustavo Petro.

Petro and President Donald Trump had repeatedly traded barbs on social media, with the US threatening to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in security funding.

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In a pointed criticism of Petro's administration, Rubio said the new government had inherited "a series of disasters" and was confronting "the mistakes of the last four years."

He said the two countries now had an opportunity not only to restore their "natural relations" but also to enter a new phase of cooperation that would be "even stronger" than before.

Rubio was effusive in his praise of De la Espriella as "a man of strength," joking he had known the Colombian leader long before he "lost his mind and went into politics." He said it was unusual to visit a country and meet a head of state he had known personally long before reaching office.

The top US diplomat also portrayed the political shifts in Colombia and elsewhere as part of a broader regional realignment toward Washington.

"I think it's part of a trend that you're seeing in the Western Hemisphere of alignment with the US and US interests," he said before leaving Miami.

The US and Colombia signed agreements on critical minerals supply chains and civilian nuclear cooperation, reflecting Washington's effort to secure strategic resources.

Since taking office after his June election victory, De la Espriella has expanded military cooperation with Washington and intensified operations against drug trafficking groups.

The Colombian leader said the two countries were resuming a historic partnership that had been "interrupted for four years," and that Bogota aimed to become Washington's leading security partner in South America.

Rubio told reporters an energetic discussion was underway with Bogota on the issue of military cooperation, and that Colombia could use assistance with equipment, specialized training, and intelligence.

Washington has made no secret of its desire to counter the influence of China, Russia, and Iran in Latin America, a priority set out in the administration's national security strategy.

In an opinion piece published Tuesday in newspapers across the region, Rubio warned that outside powers, particularly China, had entered the hemisphere with promises that concealed "predatory practices."

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After Colombia, Rubio will travel to Ecuador to meet President Daniel Noboa and discuss joint efforts against drug trafficking and organized crime.

Washington and Quito have expanded cooperation against criminal groups involved in the cocaine trade.

Rubio will then head to Peru, led since July by President Keiko Fujimori. There, he is expected to advance the "Shield of the Americas" initiative, a US-backed security partnership aimed at coordinating regional efforts against drug trafficking and transnational crime.

"We are synchronizing efforts to protect our hemisphere from transnational and regional threats by bringing Peru, now a major non-NATO ally, into the Shield of the Americas," Rubio said.