Caracas (EFE).- The Venezuelan Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, warned on Friday that the United States “wants” and “intends” to “start a war” in the region, at a time of tension over the US naval and air deployment in the Caribbean, which President Nicolás Maduro views as a threat to overthrow his regime.
“The people of the US must understand that their government is an instrument for war. It intends to start a war in Latin America and the Caribbean,” Padrino López stated during an event for the 47th anniversary of the aerospace defense command, broadcast on the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).
The military chief said that Venezuela continues “crying out for peace,” though he stressed that the country remains “in an uprising” and in “rebellion” against what he considers the “nefarious actions” of “American imperialism.”
In addition, on Friday, the Venezuelan Minister of Defense affirmed that the confiscation of a ship carrying Venezuelan crude oil by US forces off the coast of Venezuela constitutes a “flagrant violation” of international law, freedom of navigation, and free trade.
The military official stated that the tanker was transporting Venezuelan oil “for other international markets” and had been intercepted in the Caribbean while heading out to the Atlantic Ocean.
He stated, “This constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and the United Nations charter, as well as a violation of the right to free navigation and free trade.”
Padrino López questioned the US government’s foreign policy, claiming that it intends to dominate the countries in the region.
“It intends to steal and appropriate the natural resources of the hemisphere, especially those of South America,” he added.
On Tuesday, the US intercepted the Skipper tanker, sailing under a false flag, off the coast of Venezuela in a joint operation between the Department of Defense and the US Coast Guard.
A judge from the US ordered the seizure due to the ship’s previous ties to the smuggling of Iranian oil, which is sanctioned by Washington. However, on this occasion, the ship was transporting 1.9 million barrels of crude oil from the state-owned PDVSA. The Venezuelan government did not specify the destination country.
As of Wednesday, the Venezuelan government described the seizure as a “brazen robbery,” and President Nicolás Maduro denounced the disappearance of the ship’s crew members.
The White House also stated on Wednesday that the Skipper is subject to “a confiscation process” and will be transferred to a US port to seize its cargo.
The US government, which does not recognize Maduro’s legitimacy and accuses him of leading the Cartel de los Soles (an alleged group linked to drug trafficking), has had a military presence in the region since mid-2025, arguing that it is fighting drug trafficking. However, Maduro interprets this as an attempt to remove him from power.
For months Venezuela has been in a state of permanent military mobilization throughout its territory in response to what it describes as a threat of a US invasion in reference to the major naval and air deployment in the history of the North American country since the First Gulf War (1990–1991), according to a study by experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). EFE
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