In an emergency virtual meeting held on Monday (1), ministers from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) denounced the deployment of U.S. military vessels near the Venezuelan coast. Convened by the Colombian government, the meeting reaffirmed that the U.S. military presence in the region poses a threat to peace across Latin America, and urged the United States to withdraw its troops.
For Celac members, defending the region as a zone of peace does not mean ignoring political differences or downplaying the presence of organized crime. Instead, the group advocated for an approach based on cooperation between national institutions, police, and judicial systems.
Colombia’s Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio stated that mutual respect between nations must remain “the backbone” of international order. While acknowledging that freedom of navigation is a recognized right under maritime law, she criticized the U.S. government’s increasingly hostile rhetoric.
“We recognize that the presence of warships in international waters is protected by freedom of navigation under maritime law, but we also recall that all military activity must be conducted without threats or acts of force. The line between presence and coercion is easily crossed when belligerent rhetoric prevails,” Villavicencio said.
Threats and deployments
Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for former President Donald Trump, recently stated that the United States would use “full force” against Venezuela. Prior to that, the U.S. State Department increased the reward for capturing President Nicolás Maduro to about US$50 million, reiterating without evidence, that he leads the so-called “Cartel of the Suns,” a criminal organization for which no official documentation exists.
Following these announcements, international news agencies reported the deployment of several U.S. ships and even a nuclear-powered submarine to the southern Caribbean.
Villavicencio warned that such actions violate the UN Charter and called for any disputes involving the U.S. and Latin America to be addressed through diplomatic channels. “We reject interventionist logic, reaffirm the principles of the United Nations Charter, and demand that all legitimate concerns be addressed through diplomatic and multilateral channels. We also offer our platforms to support Latin American and Caribbean-led solutions to the challenges we face in our shared home,” she said.
Venezuela raises alarm
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil also attended the meeting. He emphasized that the 2014 declaration of the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace is not merely symbolic, but a “collective mandate” that must be defended. According to Gil, the region has not faced a threat this grave since the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960s.
“We are witnessing an unprecedented situation. Since the missile crisis, regional peace has not been so seriously threatened. We call on the international community to speak out in defense of the peace zone. Any armed conflict against Venezuela, under a false pretext like drug trafficking, would destabilize the entire region. This is not just about Venezuela. What we are seeing is the creation of a narrative that threatens an entire region. The consequences would be immeasurable.”
Venezuela accuses the U.S. of violating the Treaty of Tlatelolco, signed in Mexico in 1967 and ratified by the U.S. itself, which prohibits the development, testing, or deployment of nuclear weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean.
According to Venezuelan officials, the U.S. has deployed a nuclear-powered submarine, not necessarily armed with nuclear weapons, to the region. The vessel is powered by atomic energy generated through nuclear fission, which allows it to remain submerged for long periods. While its armament status remains unclear, the mere presence of such a vessel has prompted Venezuela’s protest.
Yván Gil also warned about the presence of eight US naval ships carrying more than 1,200 missiles and 4,200 troops near Venezuela’s coast. He claimed the soldiers were “trained and ready to invade Venezuela.”
Nicaragua and Cuba express support
Nicaragua and Cuba, two of Venezuela’s closest allies in the region, also took part in the Celac meeting and expressed support for Caracas. Nicaragua’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Iván Lara Palacios, condemned the U.S. military presence and insisted that respecting sovereignty and non-interference are non-negotiable principles.
He also rejected any threat of military action that could put regional peace at risk.
“We cannot allow our region to be destabilized. Today it’s one country, tomorrow it could be others. That’s why we must stand united as a community. We are a zone of peace,” he said.
Gerardo Peñalver Portal, acting Foreign Minister of Cuba, also spoke during the meeting. He challenged the White House’s stated justifications for the military deployments, arguing that official reports from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) linking Venezuela to drug trafficking networks “have no basis in fact.”
