The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, denounced to the international community the seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker by US forces. The Head of State described the action as an «absolutely criminal and illegal act» and asserted that the argument of combating drug trafficking used by Washington is an excuse to mask the real objective: to seize Venezuelan oil.
During a statement this Wednesday, the national leader affirmed that with this act, the US authorities «have taken off their mask.» He also refuted the previous justifications and declared that the true reason is the desire to appropriate the country’s energy resources. «It’s not (about) drug trafficking, it’s the oil, which they want to steal, and Venezuela will defend its sovereignty over its natural resources,» he stated emphatically.
President Maduro described the operation as a military assault, a kidnapping, and a robbery, perpetrated «like pirates of the Caribbean» against a civilian merchant vessel. In this context, he warned that with this action, the United States has «inaugurated a new era, the era of criminal naval piracy in the Caribbean.»
In response to this situation, the Venezuelan government announced that it will take a series of legal and diplomatic actions against Washington. In addition, it will implement measures to guarantee the safety of its ships and ensure the free trade of its oil worldwide, defending what it considers an inalienable sovereign right.
The Venezuelan position has found support among several actors in the international community. The Cuban government, through its Chancellor Bruno Rodríguez, condemned the «vile act of piracy.» Similarly, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our Americas (ALBA) described the event as a very serious violation of International Law and a direct attack against the sovereignty of Venezuela.
From Russia, Chancellor Sergey Lavrov questioned the legality of the action and requested detailed explanations from the United States. Additionally, the Kremlin reported that President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with his Venezuelan counterpart to express his solidarity and reaffirm his support in the face of «increasing external pressure.»
Finally, this incident is framed within a US military deployment in the Caribbean that began in August, officially justified as part of the fight against drug trafficking. Venezuela and several international experts maintain that the underlying objective is a change of regime to gain control of the country’s vast energy reserves, an accusation that gains force after the seizure of the oil tanker.