The deployment of a British warship to seas off the coast of Guyana, according to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, violates the "spirit" of an agreement signed between Venezuelan and Guyanese authorities.

On December 15, Guyana and Venezuela agreed to avert the use of force and threats to settle the disputed Essequibo territory to resolve matters of conflict within international law, such as the 1966 Geneva Agreement.

Published by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the statement said, "Guyana and Venezuela, directly or indirectly, will not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances, including those consequential to any existing controversies between the two States."

On Sunday, the British Ministry of Defense revealed that Britain has decided to dispatch a naval ship, the Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Trent, to the waters coasting Guayana following tensions between the Commonwealth state and Venezuela over the Essequibo lands. 

"HMS Trent will visit regional ally and Commonwealth partner Guyana later this month as part of a series of engagements in the region during her Atlantic Patrol Task deployment," a spokesperson said.

This comes after a British junior foreign minister visited the former British colony to extend Britain's support in light of the circumstances. 

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino took to X and declared that Venezuela is "on alert following provocations that put at risk the peace and stability of the Caribbean and our America."

¿Un buque de guerra en aguas por delimitar? ¿Y entonces? ¿Y el compromiso con la buena vecindad y la convivencia pacífica? ¿Y el acuerdo de no amenazarse y utilizar la fuerza mutuamente en ninguna circunstancia?

¡Seguimos alertas ante estas provocaciones que ponen en riesgo la… pic.twitter.com/7nqifgGULn

— Vladimir Padrino L. (@vladimirpadrino) December 24, 2023

Maduro called the deployment "practically a military threat" from Britain and described it as the "breaking of the spirit of dialogue, diplomacy and peace of the agreements."

In a TV address, the Venezuelan President ordered "the activation of a joint defensive action of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces" off the coast of Essequibo, but did not elaborate on details.

Military authorities in Venezuela's east warned that 5,600 troops were ready for the operation.

The Venezuelan foreign Ministry expressed that the country "reserves all actions, within the framework of the Constitution and International Law, to defend its maritime and territorial integrity."