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Venezuela’s defense minister said Friday that the country is standing firm against weeks of US pressure, declaring that Caracas is responding “with heads held high” to Washington’s threats.
Speaking to state broadcaster VTV, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez described the US as “one of the largest and most destructive empires in human history.”
Lopez accused Washington of using military force to impose its interests, saying, “US imperialism is trying to threaten us with bomber aircraft, missile-equipped warships, and nuclear-powered submarines in the Caribbean. We are not slaves of any empire. And what have we done? As a nation, we respond with our heads held high.”
He also criticized US military drills in Trinidad and Tobago, close to Venezuela’s coastline, asserting that “no air or naval deployment can eliminate Venezuela’s independence.”
“No matter how powerful or frightening, nobody can take away our freedom,” he said.
At a film premiere held at the Miraflores presidential palace, President Nicolas Maduro accused the U.S. of trying to portray him as a “dictator” through international media.
“The US keeps trying to say there is a regime or dictatorship in Venezuela. They repeat it over and over, but it is a completely worn-out narrative,” Maduro said.
Tensions have risen in recent months as the US expands its military posture near Venezuela.
Under an executive order signed earlier, President Donald Trump authorized greater use of military force to combat Latin American drug cartels.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, and its strike group have also arrived in the Latin American region as part of US counter-narcotics operations.
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