Washington DC - Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel next week to meet with MAGA-aligned leaders in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, the State Department confirmed on Friday.

The trip will take place from Tuesday to Thursday, only a few days after Washington sealed a controversial deal with Venezuela that grants the US control over about one-fifth of the country's enormous oil reserves.

In recent months, Latin America has seen a wave of conservative success at the ballot box, with Peru's Keiko Fujimori and Colombia's Abelardo de la Espriella – both candidates approved by President Donald Trump – taking office.

The aim of the trip, which will also see Rubio meet right-wing Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa, is to "strengthen key US partnerships," discuss increased cooperation on battling drug cartels, and deepening trade relations, the State Department said.

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"Throughout the trip, the Secretary will reaffirm the Trump Administration's commitment to a secure, prosperous, and democratic Western Hemisphere," department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement on Friday.

Washington has been clear about its plan to assert US dominance in South America under the so-called "Donroe Doctrine."

In Colombia, Rubio will discuss US support for Bogota's response in the wake of a devastating earthquake last month that left more than 330 people dead and thousands more homeless, Pigott said.

The Trump administration, which had a dismal relationship with the country's previous leader, left-wing President Gustavo Petro, was thrilled with De la Espriella's election win.

After Colombia, Rubio will head to Ecuador, where Quito has joined Washington in operations against boats which they say are linked to drug trafficking.

The last stop on Rubio's trip is Peru, which has been led since July by Fujimori, whose father Alberto Fujimori ruled the country in the 1990s.

Rubio has called the shift towards pro-US conservative governments across Latin America an "extraordinary achievement."