Venezuela Condemns US-Trinidad and Tobago Military Drills as “War Provocation”

By Staff, Agencies

Venezuela has strongly condemned the joint military exercises between the United States and Trinidad and Tobago, denouncing them as a deliberate “military provocation” designed to destabilize the Caribbean region.

The condemnation came after the arrival of the US warship USS Gravely in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday. Venezuelan Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez accused the neighboring Caribbean state of colluding with the CIA in efforts to spark regional conflict.

“Venezuela denounces the military provocation of Trinidad and Tobago, in coordination with the CIA, aimed at provoking a war in the Caribbean,” Rodríguez wrote on her Telegram channel. She further criticized Port of Spain for acting as a “vassal nation” and “military colony” serving Washington’s geopolitical ambitions in Latin America.

Located just 11 kilometers off Venezuela’s coast at its closest point, Trinidad and Tobago has hosted the USS Gravely, a guided missile destroyer carrying US marines and helicopters. The warship docked in the Port of Spain on Sunday and is scheduled to remain for four days, during which it will engage in joint training with local military forces.

The latest deployment comes amid a broader American military buildup in the Caribbean. On Friday, the Trump administration ordered the USS Ford aircraft carrier and its strike group to the region. The carrier group, which includes fighter jets, electronic warfare aircraft, and surveillance planes, has been placed under the US Southern Command.

The Pentagon claimed the deployment of the CSG-12 strike group was intended to enhance US capabilities to “detect, monitor, and interdict illicit activities that threaten the security and prosperity of the United States.” However, Venezuelan officials view it as the largest and most aggressive US naval presence off their coast in decades.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump confirmed that he had authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela and was considering potential land attacks. Caracas reacted with outrage, accusing Washington of fabricating pretexts to justify a military confrontation.

President Nicolás Maduro condemned the move as part of a broader campaign to topple his government and seize Venezuela’s vast oil and gas resources. Maduro, who leads the Leftist Bolivarian movement, has survived multiple US-backed assassination plots and destabilization attempts.

On Wednesday, Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement denouncing Trump’s remarks, warning that his policies threaten “peace and stability in the Caribbean” and represent a “serious violation of international law and the UN Charter.” The ministry confirmed that Caracas had lodged a formal complaint against Washington during an emergency meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States [CELAC].

Venezuelan officials stressed that the latest military maneuvers prove the Trump administration’s intent to militarize the region and reignite Cold War-style interventionism in Latin America.