16.11.2025 17:24
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago of collaborating with the United States and planning "irresponsible" and "threatening" military exercises in a region close to Venezuela's Sucre state. Maduro stated, "No one can threaten Venezuela. No one can intimidate our country." It is worth recalling that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had also announced that operations, including regime change in Venezuela, had begun under President Trump's orders.
According to a report in the Venezuelan press, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro targeted Trinidad and Tobago, which he accused of collaborating with the U.S., during a speech at an event in the capital Caracas.
"NO ONE CAN INTIMIDATE OUR COUNTRY"
Maduro claimed that the government of Trinidad and Tobago would conduct "irresponsible" and "threatening" exercises in an area near Venezuela's Sucre state, stating: "No one can threaten Venezuela. No one can intimidate our country. I constantly ask our people living in the 6 regions in the east of the country to start vigil and marches. We want all soldiers, police, and popular forces to act with patriotic enthusiasm without falling into provocations."
"FIGHTING ARMED AND ORGANIZED CRIME"
The Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Defense stated that these exercises are part of the "fight against armed crime and organized crime." The ministry expressed that this situation has nothing to do with Venezuela and that such exercises are part of a long-standing tradition of cooperation between the two countries. According to the press, these exercises aim to enhance equipment, tactics, and technical exchanges between the Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (TTDF) and the U.S. Marines.
ACTIVITY IN THE CARIBBEAN
U.S. President Donald Trump had previously issued an order to use the military more extensively and effectively under the pretext of combating Latin American drug cartels on-site. In this context, the U.S. sent a naval force consisting of submarines and warships to the waters off Venezuela at the end of August, and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the U.S. military had begun operations, including regime change, in Venezuela.
In response, Venezuelan President Maduro announced that he had mobilized 4.5 million militia forces in the country and was ready to repel any attack. The U.S. continuing to target some vessels off the coast of Venezuela under the pretext of drug trafficking has led to criticism from both the Venezuelan government and the international community, with claims that the attacks are "contrary to international law."
It was reported that the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier sent by the U.S. under the pretext of "combating drug trafficking," had reached the Latin America region.