ambassador

Nov. 25 (UPI) — A diplomatic controversy with the United States spilled into Chile’s presidential campaign after the new U.S. ambassador, Brandon Judd, used his first public appearance to level sharp criticism at President Gabriel Boric, prompting a formal protest from the government.

During his initial press conference, Judd directly accused the Chilean president of “damaging the bilateral relationship” and undermining investment and strategic cooperation with the United States.

He said he was “disappointed” by Boric’s criticism of President Donald Trump‘s environmental policy and argued that such remarks “harm the Chilean people.”

He also made an explicit reference to the election, saying that “with governments that are ideologically aligned, it will be easier to work,” a comment widely interpreted as support for far-right candidate José Antonio Kast.

The government of Gabriel Boric responded with a formal note of protest.

Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren called the ambassador’s remarks “inappropriate and unfortunate” and said his comments on the political process “amount to interference in our country’s internal affairs,” a message delivered to the U.S. Embassy’s chargé d’affaires.

Regarding the issue, left-wing candidate Jeannette Jara said, “Chile doesn’t need any granddaddy looking after it, and that goes for the Americans, as well as any other country,” Emol reported.

She added that her government would maintain good relations with everyone, but expects “Chile’s sovereignty to be respected, as well.”

Right-wing candidate Kast questioned Judd’s intervention, but focused his criticism on the Chilean government.

“Every time our president leaves Chile, he creates a conflict with some foreign country,” he said. He then directed a message at the administration.

“Spend your time solving problems with other governments instead of sending protest notes,” Kast said.

In the hours that followed, the issue moved into Congress.

Opposition lawmakers urged Boric to receive the new ambassador’s credentials before the end of the month, arguing that the ceremony signals seriousness, stability and a normalization of the bilateral relationship to investors and partners.

The president of the Communist Party, Lautaro Carmona, accused the ambassador of interfering in the election by “indicating that one candidate would be better than another for the United States.”

At the center of the dispute are Chile’s regulatory rules.

Judd has argued that Chilean bureaucracy is delaying U.S. projects ready to invest, linking the political climate to the business environment and the need for clear timelines.

That narrative has seeped into the campaign, where credentials, protocol and signals to investors have become points of dispute and tools for political positioning before the electorate.

Chile’s presidential runoff will be held Dec. 14. Polls show Kast with a wide lead.

Nov. 11 (UPI) — In a new diplomatic escalation between Colombia and the United States, President Gustavo Petro again recalled Colombia’s ambassador to Washington, Daniel García-Peña, for consultations.

This time, the recall aims to clarify a situation reported by the Colombian magazine Cambio regarding a photo released by the White House on Oct. 21 as part of its official coverage of a meeting between senior officials and Republican senators.

On Sunday, the image drew renewed attention after Cambio published an analysis focusing on a folder held by Deputy Chief of Staff James Blairen. The photo shows Petro alongside Nicolás Maduro, both wearing orange jumpsuits similar to those used in U.S. prisons, as part of a document titled “Trump Doctrine.”

“If an ambassador is called for consultations, the representative of the other country returns to their own country while the necessary information is obtained,” Petro wrote on X, suggesting that while García-Peña is in Bogotá, U.S. chargé d’affaires John McNamara should return to the United States, El Colombiano reported.

“This is about understanding why the official White House page shows me as if I were a prisoner in a U.S. jail. It is a brutal disrespect to the people who elected me and to the Colombian nation and its history,” Petro added.

Colombia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement confirming that Ambassador García-Peña “has been called for consultations” and “is already in Bogotá.”

At the same time, Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio ruled out the expulsion of U.S. chargé d’affaires John McNamara from Colombia, El Tiempo reported.

The Petro government’s decision comes amid a visible deterioration in diplomatic relations between the two countries and adds pressure to a bilateral agenda that includes sensitive issues such as counternarcotics cooperation, migration, trade and hemispheric relations.

According to Cambio, the first paragraph of the document held by Blairen outlines five steps against the Colombian president, three of which are already underway.

The five are designating additional cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, supporting pro-U.S. leaders in the Western Hemisphere, imposing targeted sanctions on Petro, his family and associates, countering corrupt and anti-U.S. criminal activities, and launching a comprehensive investigation into Petro’s campaigns and their foreign financing.

“People should not always rely on what they read in the newspapers,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said when askedwhether the United States had a plan underway to imprison Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

The diplomat addressed the issue during a telephone press briefing with several Latin American media outlets Monday morning.

Landau declined to comment further on the photo, which has since been removed from the U.S. government website, but expressed dissatisfaction with the Colombian president’s statements.

ATHENS, Greece — Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former California prosecutor, television personality and close ally of President Trump, officially took office Tuesday as the first U.S. female ambassador to Greece.

Guilfoyle, 56, who was once engaged to Donald Trump Jr., presented her diplomatic credentials to Greek President Constantine Tassoulas after being sworn in Sept. 29 in Washington.

The former Fox News host’s arrival comes as the United States works to boost liquefied natural gas exports to eastern Europe through Greek port facilities.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are expected in Athens this week for talks focused on expanding Western gas exports to war-torn Ukraine through a modified multinational pipeline network.

Guilfoyle and the visiting officials are scheduled to meet with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and attend ministerial meetings organized by the Washington-based Atlantic Council.

Since 2018, Greece and the United States have strengthened military ties, including expanding U.S. access to Greek bases and increased involvement of American defense contractors in Greece’s multibillion-dollar armed forces modernization program.

Guilfoyle attended a black-tie welcome reception over the weekend in Athens. Joined by local business leaders and several Cabinet members, she took part in a lively Greek dance — linking arms with other guests and keeping pace as the music sped up.

“I know we will do amazing things for these two exceptional countries,” she told attendees. “I will not disappoint the United States of America. I shall not disappoint Greece.”

At Tuesday’s ceremony, Guilfoyle presented her credentials after the new ambassadors from Norway, Harriet Berg, and Canada, Sonya Thissen.