Port of Spain/Caracas (EFE).- Trinidad and Tobago will allow United States military aircraft to use its airports in the coming weeks, drawing a swift reaction from Venezuela, which canceled all gas agreements with the island nation.
This decision, confirmed by Trinidad and Tobago’s government and regional officials, marks a significant development as the US increases its military presence in the Caribbean.
While Washington states this is officially to combat drug trafficking, Caracas rejects this explanation, viewing the deployment as a threat to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government.
US flights and security cooperation
Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM (Caribbean Community) Affairs said the authorizations granted to the US cover aircraft movements described by Washington as “logistical in nature,” including refueling operations and routine personnel rotations.
Caricom includes Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, The Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
“The Ministry maintains close collaboration with the United States Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago,” said Caricom Foreign Affairs Minister Sean Sobers, adding that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has “reaffirmed the government’s commitment to cooperation in pursuit of the security and protection of Trinidad and Tobago and the wider region.”
Persad-Bissessar said the cooperation focuses on combating transnational crime and improving public security across the Caribbean.
Authorities stressed that allowing US military transits does not represent any change in the country’s defense posture and falls within long-standing security and defense agreements with Washington.
The ministry also highlighted that US support extends beyond security to include education initiatives, donations of school supplies, and infrastructure improvement projects.
Venezuela cuts gas ties
Hours after the announcement, Venezuela said it had terminated “with immediate effect” all agreements, contracts, and negotiations to supply natural gas to Trinidad and Tobago.
In a statement published on Telegram, Venezuelan Vice President and Oil Minister Delcy Rodríguez accused the Trinidadian government of participating in what she described as the “theft of Venezuelan oil,” following the seizure on Dec. 10 of a tanker sailing under a false flag and carrying Venezuelan crude.
“This act of piracy constitutes a serious violation of international law and a blatant transgression of the principles of free navigation and trade,” Rodríguez said Venezuela alleged that Persad-Bissessar has revealed a “hostile agenda” against Caracas by turning Trinidad and Tobago into a “US aircraft carrier to attack Venezuela,” a move the government described as “servility.”
Seizures and rising regional strain The dispute is linked to the interception last week of the tanker Skipper off Venezuela’s coast in a joint operation by the US Department of War (known before as the Department of Defense) and the US Coast Guard.
The vessel was seized under a US court order due to previous links to sanctioned Iranian oil smuggling, although Venezuela said it was transporting 1.9 million barrels of crude from state oil company PDVSA.
Washington has not disclosed the destination of the cargo.
The Venezuelan government called the seizure a “blatant theft” and recalled that Maduro had already denounced the bilateral energy cooperation framework with Trinidad and Tobago on Oct. 27, citing what he described as an escalation of hostilities.
Persad-Bissessar, who took office in May, has said she does not intend to deepen energy ties with Venezuela.
In October, Venezuela’s National Assembly declared her persona non grata over what it called a “warmongering stance” for allowing US military exercises on the island.
In September, the US and Trinidad and Tobago reaffirmed joint measures to ensure that natural gas produced in the Caribbean “does not significantly benefit” the Venezuelan government.
Washington says its expanded air and naval deployment in the Caribbean, ongoing since August, aims to curb drug trafficking. Caracas, however, insists the operation is designed to undermine Maduro’s rule.
Trinidad and Tobago’s foreign ministry has rejected those claims, saying US activities are directed solely at combating transnational crime and not provoking hostilities against Venezuela.
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