“Maduro Condemns US-Trinidad and Tobago Military Drills as ‘Irresponsible’”

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

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday denounced joint military exercises by the United States and Trinidad and Tobago as “irresponsible,” accusing Washington of using the drills to threaten Caracas and increase its armed presence in the Caribbean.

Caracas claims the US military activity, which Washington says targets drug trafficking, is a cover for attempts to destabilize Maduro’s leftist government. This marks the second joint training 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, which Venezuela labeled a “provocation” due to its proximity to the country’s coast.

“The government of Trinidad and Tobago has once again announced irresponsible exercises, lending its waters off Sucre state for maneuvers intended to threaten a republic like Venezuela, which does not allow itself to be threatened by anyone,” Maduro said during an event in Caracas.

He urged supporters in eastern states to hold “a vigil and a permanent march in the streets” during the drills, scheduled for November 16-21.

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 provided no evidence linking the targeted boats to trafficking, and rights groups have questioned the legality of the strikes.

A US aircraft carrier strike group 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 details of how it differs from ongoing deployments remain unclear.