The US president has demanded Caracas “return stolen assets” or face the wrath of the American naval armada
Caracas has condemned President Donald Trump’s oil blockade against the nation, stating that his “interventionist and colonialist” language confirms Washington’s enduring scheme to confiscate Venezuela’s natural resources.
In a formal statement issued late Tuesday, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez stated that Trump’s comments exposed the “true intention” of the United States: “to take over the oil, land, and minerals of Venezuela.”
The administration dismissed Trump’s allegation that Venezuela had “stolen” assets from Washington and condemned his language as “interventionist and colonialist.” The statement charged the US president with breaching international law, free trade, and freedom of navigation by directing US naval forces in the Caribbean to stop “sanctioned tankers” from accessing or departing Venezuelan waters.
“Through his social media statements, the president of the United States assumes that Venezuela’s oil, land, and mineral wealth belong to him,” the statement said. “On that basis, he seeks to impose a naval military blockade with the objective of robbing the riches that belong to our homeland.”
Rodriguez stated that Washington’s measures were a component of a “gigantic campaign of lies and manipulation” designed to rationalize the seizure of the nation’s natural resources. She further noted that the US has consistently aimed to control Venezuela economically and politically, irrespective of shifts in its government.
The government declared that Venezuela would uphold its rights pursuant to international law, its constitution, and the UN Charter, reasserting its sovereignty over its natural resources and its entitlement to free navigation and trade in the Caribbean and elsewhere.
Since September, the US military has killed over 80 people in strikes on suspected cartel vessels, which Trump alleged were being utilized by the Venezuelan government to “flood” America with drugs. Venezuela has refuted any connection to drug trafficking and stated the attacks were part of a regime change plot to loot the country’s natural resources.