Venezuela Slams “Colonialist Threat” as Trump Declares Airspace Closed Amid Escalating Tensions

Venezuela has strongly condemned US President Donald Trump’s declaration that the airspace surrounding the South American nation should be considered closed, labeling the move “another extravagant, illegal and unjustified aggression against the Venezuelan people.” Millenium TV has learned that the country’s foreign ministry vehemently rejected the assertion, emphasizing that the United States lacks the legal authority to close another nation’s airspace and accusing Trump of issuing a “colonialist threat.”

The controversial statement from President Trump, shared on Truth Social, read, “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.” This comes amidst a significant increase in the US military presence in the region. Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro asserts that these US maneuvers are a deliberate attempt to remove him from power, disputing US claims of interdicting drug shipments, which Washington says have involved 21 strikes on boats and resulted in over 80 fatalities.

Concerns over the escalating rhetoric and military build-up have also emerged within the US Congress. Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer expressed his frustration, stating on X, “Trump’s reckless actions towards Venezuela are pushing America closer and closer to another costly foreign war.” Schumer underscored the constitutional principle that “Under our constitution, Congress has the sole power to declare war.” Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene echoed this sentiment, reminding the public, “Congress has the sole power to declare war.”

Just days prior to Trump’s announcement, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had issued a warning to airlines regarding “heightened military activity in and around Venezuela,” leading several major carriers to suspend flights and prompting Caracas to revoke their take-off and landing rights. On Saturday, Venezuela’s foreign ministry appealed to “the international community, the sovereign governments of the world, the UN, and the relevant multilateral organisations to firmly reject this immoral act of aggression.” The same day, state television showcased Venezuelan military exercises along its coastal areas, featuring anti-aircraft weapons and other artillery.

The United States has deployed the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, and approximately 15,000 troops within striking distance of Venezuela. Officials maintain this deployment, the largest in the region since the 1989 invasion of Panama, is aimed at combating drug trafficking. President Trump had previously warned on Thursday that US efforts to halt Venezuelan drug trafficking “by land” would commence “very soon.” The Venezuelan government views these actions as a concerted effort to depose the left-wing Maduro, whose re-election last year was widely disputed.

Regionally, reactions have been mixed. Fellow left-wing President Gustavo Petro of Colombia, who has also faced US sanctions, suggested the US was employing “violence to dominate” Latin America, while other regional leaders have welcomed Trump’s firm stance. Millenium TV can confirm that the US has also designated the Cartel de los Soles, a group it alleges is led by Maduro, as a foreign terrorist organization, a move that grants US agencies broader powers to target it. Venezuela’s foreign ministry has “categorically, firmly, and absolutely rejected” this designation.