Venezuela Today: Maduro Responds to U.S. Military Build-Up (August 31, 2025)

CARACAS, Aug. 31 (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro spent Sunday denouncing what he described as an unfolding U.S. naval “siege” on Venezuela’s coastline, following the arrival of American warships and submarines in the southern Caribbean aimed at countering drug trafficking.

In a televised address, Maduro reiterated his warning that no foreign power would be allowed to “trespass on Venezuelan soil,” calling the deployment of at least seven U.S. warships and a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine a violation of international law. He accused Washington of waging an “economic and psychological war” under the guise of an anti-narcotics operation and reiterated his government’s commitment to bolster the newly expanded Bolivarian Militia as the first line of defense against any incursion.

Maduro’s remarks follow an announcement by the White House that some 4,500 U.S. military personnel, including 2,200 Marines, are positioned in the region to interdict drug-smuggling routes. Caracas has responded by organizing additional civil-defense drills and ordering Friday-and-Saturday training sessions for militia members across all states.

Opposition leaders, meanwhile, seized on the tension to renew calls for Maduro’s removal, arguing that international pressure could hasten the end of his “illegitimate regime.” Yet the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) has tightened internal security measures, stripping parliamentary immunity from select lawmakers suspected of disloyalty and expanding peer-to-peer surveillance within the armed forces.

As of today, neither Washington nor Caracas has signaled any de-escalation-setting the stage for continued military brinkmanship in the coming days.

(Compiled from Reuters reporting)