No to US Lies, Sanctions, and Military Buildup Against Venezuela!

Statement of the ILPS Latin America and Caribbean Regional Committee

Read the full statement in Spanish here

Venezuela has mobilized hundreds of thousands of volunteer militia, along with its armed forces, to protect the country as the U.S. moves naval forces, including a nuclear armed sub, into the Caribbean to threaten Caracas with possible invasion.

Last week U.S. President Donald Trump deployed seven warships carrying 4,500 personnel — including three Aegis guided-missile destroyers, surveillance aircraft and one attack submarine — to the waters near Venezuela. The force includes some 2200 Marines.

The official reason for the deployment is the fight against drug cartels. In April 2025 the Trump government accused President Nicolas Maduro “of being one of the world’s largest narco-traffickers” and doubled to $50 million the reward for the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. In fact, the government of Venezuela has been fighting drug trafficking for years, with 15,000 troops presently along the Colombian border as part of a bilateral Colombia-Venezuela to combat drug trafficking and the cartels.

In the face of the outlandish threats and lies against the government and people of Venezuela, more than 80 countries and 100 cities around the world mobilised to express their support for Venezuela under the slogan ‘Venezuela is not a threat, Venezuela is a hope.’ Also, the people of the Caribbean and Latin America have declared the Caribbean Sea as a Zone of Peace.

This U.S. military deployment is clearly part of another “regime change” effort against a country with the largest oil reserves in the world, a country that has taken control of its own resources, is charting its own course, and is refusing to obey the dictates of Washington and its imperialist allies. This includes support for the people of Palestine in their valiant struggle against the Zionist entity, strong criticism of the U.S. and Israel for their illegal bombing of Iran, while clearly pointing the finger of blame at the U.S. and NATO for provoking and prolonging the war in Ukraine.

The U.S. imperialist military buildup in the Caribbean is the latest in a series of aggressions against the people of Venezuela. Trump tried to organize an unsuccessful regime change operation in Venezuela during his first stint in the White House and Washington has refused to accept the results of well-organized elections verified by numerous foreign observers that have seen Maduro elected and re-elected in this country of 30 million. Also, Venezuela has been under severe sanctions for years, causing untold and unnecessary suffering of the Venezuelan people.

The Provisional Coordinating Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) condemns this military threat by the Trump gangster government against the people of Venezuela. It calls on ILPS members and allies and peace-loving people on this continent and around the world to provide their full support to the people of Venezuela at this crucial time.

The Caribbean Sea is a Zone of Peace, NOT War! 

No to U.S. lies, sanctions and military buildup against Venezuela!

Long live the struggle of the Venezuelan people to build a strong, independent, progressive and sovereign country!

¡No pasarán!

Signed,

ILPS Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Committee