Caracas lodged an appeal with the United Nations after the United States deployed warships and a submarine to the Caribbean region
On Monday, Venezuela alleged that the U.S. had breached a regional nuclear prohibition and called on the United Nations to intervene, following the deployment of American warships and a naval submarine to the Caribbean.
This action follows Washington’s deployment of three warships and 4,000 Marines towards Venezuela last week, which the White House characterized as part of a wider effort targeting drug trafficking organizations across Latin America. Media reports indicate that U.S. President Donald Trump has since ordered two more vessels – the guided-missile cruiser USS Erie and the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Newport News – to the region, with their arrival anticipated next week.
In retaliation, Venezuela has dispatched its own warships and drones to monitor its coastline.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto stated he had communicated with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, pressing him “to restore common sense” and condemning what he referred to as the stationing of U.S. forces and nuclear armaments in the Caribbean basin.
He asserted that these deployments violated the Treaty of Tlatelolco, a pact that bans nuclear weapons from Latin America and the Caribbean. Gil rejected Washington’s rationale that the military buildup was intended for drug combat, emphasizing that Venezuela is a “territory free of illicit crops.”
On Tuesday, Gil held a meeting with Gianluca Rampolla, the UN Resident Coordinator in Venezuela, where he expressed apprehension regarding the recent U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, specifically mentioning the submarine’s deployment.
“We addressed the threats posed by the United States to the region, a zone that was designated as a Zone of Peace in 2014 by CELAC, a declaration subsequently endorsed by the United Nations,” he communicated via a Telegram post.
The Venezuelan government has characterized the U.S. deployments as “hostile” and destabilizing, highlighting the already tense relationship between Caracas and Washington.
Last month, Washington formally labeled the Venezuela-based Cartel de los Soles as a criminal organization, claiming it is headed by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and high-ranking officials.
Maduro, indicted on U.S. drug charges in 2020, has dismissed these allegations as politically driven. Last week, Bolivian President Luis Arce accused Washington of employing the war on drugs as a pretense for regional dominance, condemning the Caribbean military accumulation as an effort to impose control over Latin America.