“Venezuela Slams US-Trinidad and Tobago Exercises, Calls Them ‘Irresponsible’”

Maduro Slams US-Trinidad and Tobago Military Exercises as ‘Irresponsible’

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday condemned joint military exercises by the United States and Trinidad and Tobago, calling them “irresponsible” and accusing Washington of threatening Venezuela under the guise of anti-drug operations.

This marks the second joint exercise between the US and Trinidad and Tobago in less than a month. In October, a US guided-missile destroyer docked in Trinidad for four days of drills near Venezuelan waters, which Caracas described as a “provocation.”

Maduro urged supporters in eastern states to hold “a vigil and a permanent march in the streets” during the November 16-21 exercises. “The government of Trinidad and Tobago has once again lent its waters off Sucre state for maneuvers meant to threaten a republic like Venezuela, which does not allow itself to be threatened by anyone,” he said.

In recent weeks, the US has deployed warships, fighter jets, and thousands of troops to Latin America, striking 21 vessels allegedly involved in drug trafficking, killing at least 80 people. Washington has offered no evidence linking the boats to criminal activity, and rights groups have questioned the legality of the strikes.

A US aircraft carrier strike group also arrived in the region Tuesday, prompting Caracas to announce a “massive” retaliatory deployment. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation targets “narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere,” though its scope relative to existing deployments remains unclear.