Venezuela Calls for Emergency UN Security Council Meeting

On Thursday, the Venezuelan government requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council regarding recent U.S. military actions in waters near Venezuela.

The request was made in a letter to Vasily Nebenzia, Russia’s U.N. Ambassador and current Council President. Venezuela accused the administration of Donald Trump of attempting to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro and jeopardizing “regional and international peace, security, and stability.”

The Venezuelan government also expressed concerns that an “armed attack” against the nation could happen “in a very short period of time.”

This request followed a day after lawmakers dismissed a proposal aimed at limiting Trump’s ability to utilize lethal force against drug traffickers. Since Trump declared an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, the U.S. military has reportedly conducted four lethal assaults in the Caribbean.

Yet, the Maduro administration remains firm in its belief that U.S. actions are merely a cover for a long-standing desire to change Venezuela’s regime. Venezuelan Ambassador to the U.N. Samuel Moncada stated that for over 26 years, the motive behind U.S. actions has been to instigate a “regime change” to gain control over Venezuela’s rich natural resources.

The Venezuelan request does not specify the nationalities of the 21 individuals who lost their lives during the four attacks targeting vessels that the U.S. claims were involved in drug trafficking.

In discussing these attacks, the Venezuelan government asserted that a video released by Trump, purportedly depicting the assaults, was fabricated using artificial intelligence, marking the first acknowledgment of the initial attack, which had initially raised skepticism.

The Trump administration indicated that three of the ships targeted had departed from Venezuela. Notably, Russia has consistently been a supporter of Venezuela throughout this ongoing situation.