US warship arrives in Trinidad and Tobago, opposite Venezuela

The US warship will visit Trinidad and Tobago for joint exercises off the coast of Venezuela amid Washington’s campaign against suspected drug traffickers in the region. Martin Bernetti/AFP A missile-launching warship from the United States arrived this Sunday (26) in Trinidad and Tobago, a small archipelago located opposite Venezuela. The arrival of the ship comes amid increasing pressure from US President Donald Trump on Nicolás Maduro, president of Venezuela. The arrival of the USS Gravely had been announced last Thursday (23) by the government of the archipelago of 1.4 million inhabitants, whose western tip is approximately ten kilometers from Venezuela. The destroyer will remain docked in Port of Spain, capital of Trinidad and Tobago, until Thursday next week, October 30. During this period, the expectation is that a unit of North American marines will carry out joint training with the defense forces of the small Caribbean country. “There’s a good reason they brought their warship here. It’s to help clean up the drug problems that are on Venezuelan territory,” said Lisa, a 52-year-old resident who prefers not to reveal her last name. See the videos trending on g1: See the videos trending on g1 “It’s for a good cause, many people will be freed from oppression” and “crime”, he added. The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, is a fervent supporter of Trump and has adopted, since her inauguration in May 2025, a virulent speech against Venezuelan immigration and crime in her country. Caracas accuses the new Trinidadian government of serving Washington’s interests. Last Saturday, Venezuela held military exercises with the aim of protecting its coastline from possible “covert operations” approved by the US government. The information was announced by the country’s defense minister, Vladimir Padrino. “We are developing an exercise that began 72 hours ago, a coastal defense exercise, to protect ourselves not only from large-scale military threats, but also from drug trafficking, terrorist threats, covert operations that seek to destabilize the interior of the country,” Padrino said the day before. Venezuelan soldiers were sent to the coast for a day of exercises ordered by Maduro, who announced yesterday that the United States “is inventing a war” against their country. Tensions between the US and Venezuela Tensions between Venezuela and the United States began to intensify in August, when Washington announced the deployment of military ships and aircraft to the southern Caribbean. Since then, the US military has been assembling a force of warships, fighters, bombers, marines, drones and spy planes in the Caribbean Sea. Trump even admitted to having authorized secret operations by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the country of Nicolás Maduro. According to experts interviewed by g1, the reason for the conflict is due to the interest of the Americans in trying to overthrow Maduro, and the desire of the USA to access Venezuela’s oil reserves and mineral wealth. “What the Americans are planning is not yet clear, but, without a doubt, we are on the verge of a large-scale attack. And, if that happens, it will be the first time that the United States has militarily attacked a country in South America”, declared Maurício Santoro, PhD in Political Science from Iuperj. The United States government, however, claims that these movements are only actions to combat drug trafficking. Lula was willing to serve as an interlocutor President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) was willing, this Sunday (26), to serve as an interlocutor in the dialogue between the USA and Venezuela. The proposal was made during a meeting between Lula and Trump, during the Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Countries (Asean), in Kuala Lumpur. According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, the Brazilian president said that South America and Latin America are a region of peace. The dialogue, according to the chancellor, would come to “seek solutions that are mutually acceptable and correct” between the US and Venezuela. “[Lula também disse] that Brazil will always be willing to act as an element of peace and understanding, which has always been Brazil’s tradition and will continue to be”, he added. Last Friday (24) – two days before the meeting between Lula and Trump, the president of Brazil stated that he did not agree with attacks and invasions being carried out on other countries under the justification of combating drug trafficking. For the Brazilian president, “if the world becomes a lawless land, it will be very difficult.” Lula suggested as an alternative that the US be willing to talk to the police and Ministry of Justice of other countries. “If fashion catches on, each one thinks they can invade the other’s territory to do what they want. Where will the word respectability for the sovereignty of countries appear? So I intend to discuss these issues with President Trump if he puts it on the table”, he argued. “I think there is a lack of understanding of the issue of international politics”, said Lula about Trump’s statement that he will ‘”just kill the people who are bringing drugs into his country.” Lula further countered: “Every time we talk about fighting drugs, it would possibly be easier for us to fight our addicts internally, the users. Users are responsible for drug traffickers, who are victims of users too.” The Brazilian president also mentioned that the US president cannot just say that he will invade and “fight drug trafficking in ‘other people’s land'”, without taking into account the countries’ Constitution. *With information from the news agency France Presse (AFP).

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