Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro sent a message to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, calling for assistance to "end US hostility and aggression" against his country.
“I am writing to you to express the deep concern of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela regarding the escalation of the aggression of the United States government against our country, which in recent days has reached an unprecedented level of threat to the peace and security of Latin America and the Caribbean“, Maduro said.
The president noted that for many years Venezuela has been the subject of a systematic policy of persecution by the United States, but “today this aggression has reached a more dangerous level: the military deployment in the Caribbean of US naval and air forces, including destroyers and a missile cruiser, as well as a fast nuclear submarine“. Maduro added that these actions are a gross violation of the UN Charter and the Treaty of Tlatelolco, “which provides for the denuclearization of Latin America and the Caribbean“.
The Venezuelan leader appealed to the UN Secretary-General with a request to assist in ending the hostile actions of the US government against the Bolivarian Republic and to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country.
On August 19, Reuters, citing Pentagon sources, reported that three US Navy destroyers (USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson) were sent to the southern Caribbean to the coast of Venezuela “to conduct operations to combat drug cartels“. It was also reported that the nuclear submarine USS Newport News, the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie, landing ships and 4,500 military personnel are stationed in the area. According to The New York Times, US President Donald Trump has secretly signed a directive to begin using military force against Latin American drug cartels.
Washington accuses Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of belonging to the Cartel de los Soles, a drug cartel that Caracas denies. On August 7, US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced an increase of $50 million in the reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest.