Marco Rubio gains new ally for US: Peru aligns with Trump, joins 'Shield of the Americas'

Secretary of State Marco Rubio achieved highly positive results on Thursday during his meeting in Lima with Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori, after the Peruvian government announced that the Andean country will officially join the "Shield of the Americas" initiative, led by the United States to combat drug trafficking and transnational organized crime. The right-wing president explained at a press conference following the meeting that Peru's participation will help accelerate the exchange of intelligence and facilitate coordinated actions against criminal organizations operating across borders.

"We value this opportunity (to join the initiative), because for us, having previously had to confront terrorism, we know how difficult it is to combat crime today," Fujimori stated, referring to Peru's fight against the Maoist insurgency of Shining Path. Similarly, the president noted that "Being part of the Shield of the Americas will allow us to obtain information more quickly, act more decisively, and, from Peru, we will act with all the powers granted to us by law and the Constitution," she said.

Rubio, for his part, defended Washington's renewed involvement in Latin America as a matter of national security and not as a concession to its regional partners. "U.S. engagement in the region is not a favor. It is essential to our own security, to our own prosperity, to our own well-being in the Americas. And this administration is committed to it," he affirmed.

The secretary of state also highlighted the importance of President Donald Trump's administration working directly with the region's governments to combat criminal organizations and made it clear that the United States does not intend to act unilaterally against drug traffickers without the authorization of its allies.

Peru's inclusion makes it the fifteenth member of the "Shield of the Americas," an initiative that seeks to strengthen regional cooperation against drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations. Discussions between Rubio and Fujimori also covered migration, trade, and preparations for a potential emergency related to the El Niño phenomenon.

The decision was announced during the secretary of state's final stop on a tour of three Latin American countries that also included Colombia and Ecuador. This marks the highest-level U.S. visit to Peru since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025 and the first meeting between Rubio and Fujimori since she took office in July.