Colombia imposes tariffs and halts energy sales to Ecuador as trade feud escalates

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia announced Thursday that it will apply a 30% tax on a group of products from Ecuador and will suspend the sale of energy to that country, in response to a matching tariff announced the previous day by the government of Ecuadorian Daniel Noboa.

The escalating trade dispute between the South American neighbors follows a public protest by Noboa regarding a more than $850 million trade deficit with Colombia. Noboa also cited a lack of reciprocity in securing their shared border, which remains a stronghold for criminal organizations and international drug trafficking.

The Colombian government expressed surprise at Ecuador’s unilateral tariffs, noting that bilateral cooperation remains active through established binational mechanisms, including joint military and anti-narcotics operations.

From January to November 2024, Ecuadorian exports to Colombia totaled $760 million against $1.8 billion in imports, according to Ecuador's ministry of production. Building on this trend, the Ecuadorian Federation of Exporters reported that the trade deficit with Colombia reached $852 million during the same period in 2025.

The 30% tariff announced Thursday by Colombia covers 20 unspecified Ecuadorian products, with authorities noting “the possibility of extending the measure to a broader group.”

Colombia's ministry of commerce said that these specific exports represent approximately $250 million, highlighting the significant impact on bilateral trade conditions. However, Commerce Minister Diana Marcela Morales noted that the tariffs are temporary and remains open to a diplomatic, negotiated solution.

Business leaders in Colombia and Ecuador are warning of immediate economic fallout if their governments fail to resolve the current tariff dispute.

“Since yesterday, member companies have been contacting us in a state of high concern,” Oliva Diazgranados, executive director of the Bogotá-based Colombian-Ecuadorian Chamber of Commerce, told The Associated Press. “This situation directly impacts corporate development and sales projections; it may even threaten jobs.”

Diazgranados said that while the business community is bearing the brunt of the tension, the root of the conflict lies with security agencies, not trade.

Meanwhile, Colombia's ministry of mines and energy announced an indefinite suspension of all international electricity sales to Ecuador. The ministry framed the move as a “preventive measure” essential to safeguarding Colombia’s own energy sovereignty and security.

The decision follows a sharp rebuke from Colombian Energy Minister Edwin Palma, who condemned Ecuador’s tariffs as “economic aggression” that undermines regional integration.

Palma highlighted the irony of the current friction, noting that during Ecuador’s severe energy crisis in late 2024, Colombia consistently provided roughly 90% of its exportable power — totaling approximately 450 megawatts — to stabilize its neighbor’s grid.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Ecuadorian soldiers stand guard the Rumichaca international bridge in Rumichaca, Colombia, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Leonardo Castro)

Pedestrians cross the Rumichaca international bridge from Colombia to Ecuador in Rumichaca, Colombia, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Leonardo Castro)

Vehicles cross from Ecuador to Colombia using the Rumichaca international bridge in Rumichaca, Colombia, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Leonardo Castro)

Vehicles cross from Ecuador to Colombia using the Rumichaca international bridge in Rumichaca, Colombia, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Leonardo Castro)

People exchange currencies at the Rumichaca international bridge between Colombia and Ecuador in Rumichaca, Colombia, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Leonardo Castro)

PARIS (AP) — France’s Navy, working with intelligence provided by the United Kingdom, on Thursday intercepted an oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea that traveled from Russia, in a mission targeting the sanctioned Russian shadow fleet, officials said.

French maritime authorities for the Mediterranean said the ship, the Grinch, is suspected of operating with a false flag. The French Navy is escorting the ship to anchorage for more checks, the statement said. The tanker departed from the city of Murmansk in northwestern Russia, it said.

Oil revenue is a key part of Russia’s economy, allowing President Vladimir Putin to pour money into the war effort against Ukraine without worsening inflation for everyday people and avoiding a currency collapse.

France and other countries have vowed to crack down on the sanction-busting shadow fleet of oil tankers which experts estimate numbers over 400 ships. They are also trying to secure deals with flag-carrying countries to make it easier to board the vessels. The shadow fleet's aging tankers are bought used, often by nontransparent entities with addresses in non-sanctioning countries, and sailing under flags from non-sanctioning countries.

“We are determined to uphold international law and to ensure the effective enforcement of sanctions," French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post about the interception, with a photo showing a French helicopter hovering over a ship.

“The activities of the ‘shadow fleet’ contribute to financing the war of aggression against Ukraine,” Macron added.

The French mission was conducted together with the U.K, which gathered and shared intelligence that enabled the ship to be intercepted, according to French military officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the operation.

The ship was operating under a false flag from the Comoros islands, which are off east Africa, and its crew is Indian, the officials said. It was intercepted in the western Mediterranean, off the southern Spanish coastal town of Almeria, the officials said.

Last September, French naval forces boarded another oil tanker off the French Atlantic coas t that Macron also linked to the shadow fleet. That tanker traveled from the Russian oil terminal in Primorsk near Saint Petersburg. Known as “Pushpa” or “Boracay" — its name was changed several times — the ship was sailing under the flag of Benin.

Putin denounced that interception as an act of piracy and alleged that Macron initiated the move to deflect attention from French domestic problems.

The tanker's captain will go on trial in February over the crew’s alleged refusal to cooperate, according to French judicial authorities.

French President Emmanuel Macron shakes with soldiers as he visits the Istres military air force base, southern France, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni, Pool)