Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has denounced in the strongest terms recent statements by former U.S. President Donald Trump. Those remarks were about state-run Venezuela’s oil industry and border rights. At a press conference, Trump went so far as to call Venezuela’s seizure of U.S. energy rights illegal. He reiterated the commitment from the United States to fight to restore those rights. To Maduro, these statements were evidence of a foreign plot for regime change in Venezuela. He was even more convinced that they sought to seize control of the nation’s natural resources.
Since the 1970s, the Bolivarian Republic has kept the oil sector firmly in control, with the state never relinquishing its grip over the resource-rich country. Trump’s pledge to restore oil and crown jewels of Venezuela to their former glory fueled fury from Maduro regime and Venezuelan state. They decried his statements as an extension of a broader “diplomacy of barbarism,” insisting that it threatens the foundations of coexistence between nations.
Maduro quickly and decisively responded, stating unequivocally that he perceived Trump’s claims to be a direct threat to Venezuelan sovereignty. In a phone call with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Maduro aired his fears. He continued to oppose U.S. military action in the region, claiming those efforts are intended to destabilize the Venezuelan government.
“President Maduro stressed that such statements must be categorically rejected by the United Nations system, as they constitute a direct threat to sovereignty, international law, and peace.” – Venezuelan government
Trump has at times threatened to blockade every single one of the sanctioned oil tankers heading to Venezuela. He said the military encirclement of Venezuela would increase. This would go on until the country repatriated what he called looted resources.
“We’re getting land, oil rights, whatever we had. They took it away because we had a president that maybe wasn’t watching. But they’re not going to do that. We want it back.” – Donald Trump
In response, Maduro called on Colombia to promote brotherhood with Venezuela in order to defend both nations’ sovereignty. In particular, he reached out to the Colombian military and grassroots social movements. He implored them to push back against any foreign actors seeking to undermine their countries’ sovereignty and self-determination.
“I make my call … to the ordinary people of Colombia, to its social movements, to its political forces, to the Colombian military, whom I know very well. I call upon them for a perfect union with Venezuela so that no one dares touch the sovereignty of our countries.” – Nicolás Maduro
Even then, Maduro vehemently asserted that the U.S. was up to no good. He thinks their real purpose is regime change to put a puppet government in Venezuela. He argued that this kind of outcome would only succeed in reducing the nation’s constitution, sovereignty, and resources to ruins.
“The aim in Venezuela is a regime change to impose a puppet government that wouldn’t last 47 hours, that would hand over the Constitution, sovereignty, and all the wealth, turning Venezuela into a colony. It will simply never happen.” – Nicolás Maduro
Notably, António Guterres’s office responded with impressive swiftness to the escalating tensions. They reiterated the UN’s call on member states to adhere to international law and exercise restraint to maintain peace and security in this volatile region.
Rhetoric is increasing between the two countries. Venezuelan, regional and national observers are justifiably concerned about the potential consequences of U.S. military intervention and political maneuvering on Venezuela and the rest of the region.
