During statements to reporters in Florida, USA, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that the percentage of drugs coming from the sea has decreased by more than 96%, asserting: “We’re going to do the same work on land, and that’s going to be easier and faster.”
In a move considered a controversial legal and political precedent, Trump confirmed that the United States would keep the oil seized from Venezuelan tankers in international waters, regarding it as part of “counter-smuggling and drug-trafficking efforts.”
For its part, Venezuela responded firmly, as President Nicolás Maduro directed an official message to the leaders of Latin American and Caribbean countries, as well as to all UN member states, emphasizing that “Venezuela is committed to peace, but stands ready for a relentless defense of its sovereignty, territory, and resources.”
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil Pinto stated in a broadcast on “Venezolana de Televisión” that “Venezuela reaffirms its desire for peace, but at the same time shows its full readiness to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and resources in accordance with international law.”
Maduro also revealed that U.S. forces launched 28 attacks on civilian vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific, “leading to 104 extrajudicial killings,” noting that these violations “are not based on any legal justification,” and affirming that Venezuela has committed no act that warrants such military pressure.
The Venezuelan President explained that the United States detained two tankers in international waters carrying nearly 4 million barrels of Venezuelan oil and imposed a “total naval blockade” on them, considering these practices to “transcend international law and the U.S. Constitution,” and characterizing them as “systematic piracy of energy resources.”
Maduro warned that these measures would cause grave damage to global oil markets and exacerbate economic instability in Latin American and Caribbean countries, calling on the international community to “reject the use of energy resources as a tool for political pressure or military aggression.”
On December 10, Trump announced the seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker carrying Venezuelan oil, stating that Washington would “keep the oil.” On December 20, Washington confirmed the interception of the tanker “Centuries,” which was flying the Panamanian flag and transporting oil for a Chinese company, despite not being under U.S. sanctions. On December 21, Bloomberg reported the seizure of the tanker “Bella 1,” on the pretext of its alleged involvement in transporting Iranian oil previously, according to the New York Times.
Trump’s statements regarding “land strikes” and the seizure of Venezuelan oil are viewed as a dangerous escalation that could open the door to a broader military confrontation in Latin America, at a time when countries of the Global South seek to strengthen their sovereignty and reject unilateral hegemony. In contrast, Venezuela maintains its defensive stance, stressing that “peace does not mean submission” and that it will not allow the “looting of its resources under any pretext.”
United News Network – UNN Arabic
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