The current military escalation in the Caribbean is not an isolated event but a continuation of the interventionist doctrine that has historically characterized US foreign policy toward Latin America and the Caribbean.

This action is part of the hegemonic strategy of the United States to control natural resources and weaken governments that defend their sovereignty. The Donald Trump administration intensified this policy, reviving traditional pretexts such as the fight against drug trafficking to justify military actions in the region. It futilely attempts to justify such a hostile policy to the world and to US public opinion, but there is no valid argument for these actions. The United Nations has officially stated in its reports that Venezuela is not among the countries recognized as major drug trafficking routes.

The US military deployment in the Caribbean represents an unprecedented show of force in recent decades. The United States has mobilized a significant naval armada, including destroyers, cruisers, amphibious assault ships, and nuclear-powered submarines, supported by advanced fighter aircraft and thousands of military personnel. This force is absolutely disproportionate to the official pretext of "combating drug trafficking." It is evidently a deplorable disguise for a broader strategic objective: to pressure Venezuela internally, divide its people, critically weaken support for the legitimate government of Nicolás Maduro, and prepare for a possible military intervention. Consider that this dangerous military threat exists alongside and complements other forms of aggression, such as the extensive economic sanctions and financial blockade imposed on Venezuela, which themselves constitute a form of collective punishment and a violation of human rights.

Cubans know this attitude very well, because this same logic of collective punishment has been applied for over six decades against our people through the criminal economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States, which has been condemned almost unanimously by the international community in the UN General Assembly. They are not only acts of war in peacetime but also cruel expressions of a policy designed to bring a sovereign people to their knees through hunger and need.

Such actions by the United States in Caribbean waters constitute flagrant violations of international law. Recent attacks against vessels allegedly linked to drug trafficking were carried out without verifiable evidence and without the backing of international organizations. Legal experts worldwide, and even some Democratic congressmen in the US, have described these attacks as illegal, criminal, and morally reprehensible, as they represent the use of lethal force against civilians without due process.

Venezuela has responded with firmness and dignity to these provocations, exercising its legitimate right to sovereign defense as enshrined in the United Nations Charter. In this context, Venezuela initiated military exercises dubbed "Sovereign Caribbean 200." These exercises include electronic warfare actions and air defense deployments with armed drones, surveillance systems, and submarines. President Maduro mobilized the nation's armed forces, committing thousands of troops and militiamen to exercises called "Independence Plan 200." This mobilization includes massive recruitment for the Bolivarian National Militia, integrating civilians and retired soldiers trained in defense and territorial vigilance. Alongside this massive popular support, Venezuela has demonstrated significant technical capacity to deter and defend its sovereign space against any aggression.

The international community has responded to this dangerous escalation, with many showing anti-imperialist solidarity, while a pitiful few have submitted to US interests. Cuba has expressed strong condemnation and active solidarity, calling for international mobilization and denouncing the absurd pretexts. On the island, not only the government, the party, and the parliament have declared their complete support publicly, but millions of Cubans have also signed a document backing Venezuela and rejecting US aggressive policy.

China's support for Venezuela and its criticism of the US Monroe Doctrine are also known, stating that "Latin America is no one's backyard." Russia has rejected US pressure, labeling it "unacceptable," and supports Venezuela's right to self-determination. Iran's solidarity with Venezuela is explicit, with President Pezeshkian promising "firm support for Venezuela's territorial integrity." Nicaragua has denounced the interventionism, questioning US credibility in anti-drug efforts, and CARICOM has also expressed its significant concern. In firm rejection of these military threats, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) has collectively reaffirmed its unwavering support for Venezuela's sovereignty and the legitimate government of President Nicolás Maduro.

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A direct military aggression against Venezuela would have incalculable consequences for peace, stability, and security in our America. An armed conflict in Venezuela, a country of approximately 28 million inhabitants determined to defend its territory at any cost, would inevitably provoke a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions for this sister nation and the entire region and would surely end in another failure of aggressive US policies. To these fundamental arguments, add that a military conflict or increased naval presence in the Caribbean Sea poses a significant threat to the region's fragile marine ecosystem, which is vital for tourism and fishing livelihoods.

It is also necessary to note that Venezuela possesses the largest certified oil reserves in the world; any disruption in its production would severely affect global energy markets, with unpredictable repercussions for the world economy. Although Venezuela is determined to defend itself by its own means, the presence of international actors such as Russia, China, and Iran providing any kind of support creates a real risk of the conflict internationalizing, transcending regional borders and generating unpredictable geopolitical dynamics.

The United States' excuse of combating drug trafficking lacks credibility and contradicts the factual reality of the drug problem in the region. As rightly pointed out by our government and many other sources, the United States is the largest market for narcotic drugs in the region and the world, according to the UN World Drug Report. It is the criminal networks within the United States that foster consumption, ensure distribution, facilitate trafficking, and enable the collection and accumulation of large illicit incomes. These networks launder money within the US economy with relative impunity, without serious and effective efforts by the government to stop them.

Furthermore, the powerful US arms industry and its lax commercialization controls, if any, fuel the lethal power of criminal organizations in the region. The failure to address the root causes of the phenomenon within the United States will only intensify the regional impact of this scourge. It is well known, and even openly stated by President Trump himself and other voices in the US government and military, that the real motive for these aggressions is Venezuela's richness in oil and other valuable resources, combined with the desire to eliminate a strong, sovereign, and independent adversary from the region.

No government has the right to resort to threats or the use of force in violation of the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and International Law. We must understand that the current military escalation in the Caribbean is not only a threat to Venezuela but to the entire region and the fundamental principles of international coexistence.

Cuba assumes its duty to tirelessly denounce the true nature of this imperialist aggression and the false pretexts that support it; to actively back the Venezuelan people and their legitimate government, recognizing that their struggle is also our struggle; and to mobilize international public opinion to expose violations of international law and the risks of military escalation. In this dangerous juncture, our country is working to strengthen anti-imperialist unity among all peoples and governments that defend self-determination and sovereignty. Cuba, along with many countries in the region, demands compliance with the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, as approved by CELAC in 2014.

Faced with this grave situation, we must turn indignation into organized action and effective solidarity. The declaration of the Revolutionary Government of Cuba calls for international mobilization to prevent aggression and preserve Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace. Stressing the importance of strengthening regional bodies like CELAC and UNASUR to provide a united front against external interference and promote Latin American integration and independent conflict resolution is decisively important.

The aggression against Venezuela cannot be viewed as an isolated incident disconnected from global geopolitics. It is a manifestation of a broader plague of imperialism that currently afflicts the entire world. This same doctrine of domination, which seeks to subjugate sovereign nations and control their resources, is being executed with brutal efficiency in other theaters. The ongoing Israeli extermination in Gaza, carried out with unwavering political, military, and diplomatic support from the United States, stands as a stark and horrifying testament to the global reach of this aggressive policy. In both cases—Venezuela and Palestine—the pattern is consistent: the violation of international law, the disregard for human life, and the use of overwhelming force to achieve strategic objectives.

This interconnectedness of imperialist aggression underscores the urgent necessity for a robust and active international solidarity. The struggles of the Venezuelan people, the Palestinian people, and all nations facing coercion and intervention are inextricably linked. They are all fronts in the same battle against hegemony and for a multipolar world based on respect for sovereignty and self-determination. Silence or inaction in the face of aggression in any part of the world ultimately emboldens the aggressors everywhere.

Therefore, solidarity must transcend geographical boundaries and become a fundamental principle of international relations. It is not enough to condemn aggression in one's own region while ignoring it elsewhere. The defense of Venezuela's sovereignty is inseparable from the condemnation of the genocide in Gaza and from supporting all just causes against foreign domination. Building a broad anti-imperialist front, uniting peoples, social movements, and progressive governments across the globe, is the most effective response to this scourge. Only through collective action, firm denunciation, and active solidarity can we hope to preserve peace, uphold international law, and secure a future free from the threats of intervention and war.