Venezuelan defense chief warns US ‘not dare to set foot on Venezuelan territory’
Vehicles run on a highway in Caracas, Venezuela
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López warned the US government not to “dare to set foot on Venezuelan territory,” stressing that any action that violates Venezuela’s sovereignty would be considered “an aggression against all of Latin America and the Caribbean,” Venezuelan media Últimas Noticias reported on Thursday.
In a video posted on his Instagram account, Minister Padrino López stated, “Make no mistake, here is a worthy FANB (Bolivarian National Armed Forces) and people, with a sense of nationality, ready to defend their sovereignty and self-determination. The homeland is not for negotiation, the homeland is for defense!” following the US military deployment in the Caribbean.
Just weeks after the renewal of the US oil company Chevron’s license to operate in Venezuela and the agreement to exchange political prisoners, tensions between Washington and Caracas have escalated dramatically, Spanish media El Pais reported. The tensions now have a military component that has few bilateral precedents.
After promoting a détente between the two countries, the US government reversed course. On August 7, the White House raised the reward for information leading to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to $50 million, according to media report.
This week, the US began deploying three destroyers, 4,000 marines, combat aircraft, and submarines along Venezuela’s maritime borders as part of an operation against drug trafficking, El Pais said.
The US is deploying three Aegis guided-missile destroyers to the waters off Venezuela as part of US President Donald Trump’s effort to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels, a White House official confirmed to CBS News on Wednesday, confirming a report by the Reuters news agency.
The USS Gravely, the USS Jason Dunham and the USS Sampson were to depart for the region over the next few days, the official said, according to CBS News.
Meanwhile Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday that China and
Venezuela are good partners of mutual trust and common development, and China will, as always, firmly support Venezuela in safeguarding sovereignty, national dignity and social stability.
Venezuela too is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China to uphold multilateralism, defend international fairness and justice, and safeguard the common interests of the international community.
While commenting on US warships patrolling the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela’s coast, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday that China opposes any move that violates the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and a country’s sovereignty and security.
We oppose the use or threat of force in international relations and the interference of external forces in Venezuela’s internal affairs under any pretext. We hope that the US will do more things conducive to peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region, Mao said.
Other Caribbean countries also condemned the US action toward Venezuela.
For instance, Julio Muriente Perez, the co-president of the Hostosian National Independence Movement (MINH) of Puerto Rico, said that the US government uses as a subterfuge the fight against drug trafficking, while putting at risk the entire region, Cuban news outlet Prensa Latina reported.
