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Venezuela has condemned former US President Donald Trump’s remarks suggesting the country’s airspace should be considered closed, labeling it a “colonialist threat.”
The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry issued a statement denouncing Trump’s comments as “another extravagant, illegal, and unjustified aggression against the Venezuelan people.”
While the United States lacks the legal authority to close another nation’s airspace, Trump’s online statement has the potential to create uncertainty for travelers and discourage airlines from operating in the region.
The US has been augmenting its military presence in the Caribbean, citing efforts to combat drug smuggling. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has dismissed US drug trafficking claims as a pretext to remove him from power.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated: “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”
The White House has yet to respond to requests for comment.
Trump’s statement follows a recent warning from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to airlines regarding “heightened military activity in and around Venezuela.”
On Wednesday, Venezuela banned six major international airlines – Iberia, TAP Portugal, Gol, Latam, Avianca, and Turkish Airlines – from landing after they reportedly failed to meet a 48-hour deadline to resume flights.
The US has deployed the USS Gerald Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, along with approximately 15,000 troops to the vicinity of Venezuela.
The US maintains that this deployment – the largest in the region since the 1989 invasion of Panama – is intended to counter drug trafficking.
On Thursday, Trump cautioned that US efforts to halt Venezuelan drug trafficking “by land” would commence “very soon.”
US forces have reportedly conducted at least 21 strikes on vessels alleged to be carrying drugs, resulting in over 80 fatalities. However, the US has not presented definitive evidence confirming the presence of drugs on these vessels.
The Venezuelan government asserts that the US actions are aimed at ousting President Maduro, whose re-election last year was widely disputed by the Venezuelan opposition and international observers.
The US has also designated Cartel de los Soles, a group purportedly led by Maduro, as a foreign terrorist organization.
The designation of an organization as a terrorist group grants US law enforcement and military agencies expanded authority to target and dismantle it.
The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry has stated that it “categorically, firmly, and absolutely rejected” the designation.
Venezuelan Interior and Justice Minister Diosdado Cabello, who is alleged to be a high-ranking member of the cartel, has long dismissed the group as an “invention.”
The US State Department maintains that the Cartel de los Soles not only exists but has “corrupted Venezuela’s military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary.”
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