Maduro says Venezuela ready to respond to US military presence in the
Caribbean
[September 02, 2025]
By REGINA GARCIA CANO and JUAN ARRAEZ
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday
said his country was at “maximum preparedness” and ready to respond if
attacked by forces that the United States government has deployed to the
Caribbean.
His comments during a news conference come as the U.S. government this
week is set to boost its maritime force in the waters off Venezuela to
combat threats from Latin American drug cartels. The U.S. has not
signaled any planned land incursion by the thousands of personnel being
deployed. Still, Maduro's government has responded by deploying troops
along its coast and border with neighboring Colombia, as well as by
urging Venezuelans to enlist in a civilian militia.
“In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum
preparedness for the defense of Venezuela,” Maduro said of the
deployment, which he characterized as “an extravagant, unjustifiable,
immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat.”
He said he would constitutionally declare a “republic in arms” if the
U.S. attacked Venezuela. He did not elaborate.
The U.S. Navy now has two Aegis guided-missile destroyers — the USS
Gravely and the USS Jason Dunham — in the Caribbean, as well as the
destroyer USS Sampson and the cruiser USS Lake Erie in the waters off
Latin America. That military presence is set to expand.
Three amphibious assault ships — a force that encompasses more than
4,000 sailors and Marines — would be entering the region this week, a
defense official told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity
to describe ongoing operations.
The deployment comes as President Donald Trump has pushed for using the
military to thwart cartels he blames for the flow of fentanyl and other
illicit drugs into U.S. communities and for perpetuating violence in
some U.S. cities.
On Monday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil, citing a United Nations
report, told his counterparts in various Latin American countries that
the deployment of U.S. maritime forces is built on a “false narrative”
as 87% of cocaine produced in Colombia departs through the Pacific and
traffickers attempt to move only 5% of their product through Venezuela.
Landlocked Bolivia and Colombia, with access to the Pacific and
Caribbean, are the world’s top cocaine producers.
Gil added that the narrative “threatens the entire region” and an attack
on Venezuela “would really mean a complete destabilization of the
region.”
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Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a press conference
in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana
Cubillos)
“Let us immediately demand an end to this deployment, which has no
other reason than to threaten a sovereign people,” he added during a
virtual meeting of members of the Community of Latin American and
Caribbean States regional group.
Maduro also used his news conference to insist that he was the
legitimate winner of last year's presidential election. But ample
and credible evidence has shown the contrary, prompting several
countries, including the U.S., to not recognize Maduro as
Venezuela's president.
Maduro, sworn in to a third six-year term in January, added that his
government maintains two lines of communication with the Trump
administration, one with the State Department and another with
Trump’s envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell. He called
Secretary of State Marco Rubio a “warlord” pushing for action in the
Caribbean to topple Venezuela's government.
Since the July 2024 presidential election, Venezuela's political
opposition has been urging the U.S. and other countries to pressure
Maduro into leaving office. Its leader, María Corina Machado, last
month thanked Trump and Rubio for the deployment of the vessels,
describing the move as “the right approach" toward Venezuela's
government, which she described as a “criminal enterprise.”
Maduro on Monday, however, warned that U.S. military action against
Venezuela would “stain” Trump's “hands with blood."
“President Donald Trump, the pursuit of regime change is exhausted;
it has failed as a policy worldwide,” Maduro said. “You cannot
pretend to impose a situation in Venezuela.”
___
Garcia Cano reported from Mexico City. Associated Press writer
Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed to this report.
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