Venezuelan President Accuses US of Threatening Sovereignty
Nicolás Maduro, the President of Venezuela, has alleged that the United States presents a “colonial threat” to his nation following a statement from President Donald Trump advocating for the closure of airspace over Venezuela.
The Venezuelan government has “forcibly rejected” Trump’s remarks regarding the airspace, describing them as attempts to violate the country’s “territorial integrity, air security, and full sovereignty.” This assertion came in a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.
According to the statement, “Such a declaration constitutes a hostile, unilateral and arbitrary act.”
This response from the Venezuelan leadership followed Trump’s increased pressure against the Caracas government in a post on the Truth Social platform.
In his Saturday post, Trump addressed “all airlines, pilots, drug traffickers, and human traffickers,” urging them to consider shutting down the entire airspace around Venezuela.
Iran, a significant ally of Venezuela, denounced Trump’s announcement as a “grave violation of international law and a threat to global aviation security,” as reported by the Iranian state news agency IRNA.
It’s not clear how Trump’s call for an air blockade will influence migrant deportation flights, which recently saw nearly 14,000 Venezuelan citizens returned from the United States, according to the Venezuelan government’s statement.
In recent months, an airline has been operating about two flights a week, amid the U.S. government’s actions against illegal immigration.
Just last week, Venezuela rescinded the operating rights of six major international airlines.
This announcement from Trump came shortly after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned that major airlines were in a “potentially dangerous situation” due to a “deteriorating security situation and increased military activity” in or around Venezuela.
In light of this, Venezuela has revoked the operating privileges of six major international airlines that had previously halted flights to the country following FAA advisories.
