Tensions rise as Venezuela threatens Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago over U.S. ties

Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino López said that if such aggression were launched from their soil, both countries would face a response from Venezuela in “legitimate self-defence.” The statement comes amid heightened tensions with the United States following a recent naval deployment in the Caribbean.

Vice President Delcy Rodríguez accused Georgetown and Port of Spain of acting as “vassals” of the U.S. Department of Defence, alleging they were facilitating “plans of aggression” against Venezuela. “Do not dare, do not even think about it. You are lending yourselves to a perverse plan of aggression against the people”, Rodríguez warned in a televised address last week.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar rejected the accusations on Friday, calling them “alarmist” and stressing that there are no plans with Washington to invade Venezuela or deploy Trinidadian troops. Both Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, however, have expressed support for the U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, framing their cooperation as part of joint efforts against drug trafficking.

Washington currently has eight warships and a nuclear-powered submarine stationed near Venezuelan waters, officially under an anti-narcotics mission. The Maduro government, however, sees the deployment as part of an attempt to force regime change. The United States has long accused President Nicolás Maduro of leading the so-called “Cartel of the Suns”, a network it labels a terrorist organisation linked to drug trafficking. In March, the U.S. increased its reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture to $50 million.