Members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) have voiced concern over escalating tensions between the United States and Venezuela, warning of mounting risks to regional peace and calling for dialogue to settle disputes.
The UNSC held an emergency meeting on Friday at the request of Venezuela following a series of US military strikes on boats near the Venezuelan coast, which Washington accuses of carrying drugs. A total of 21 people have been killed since the US began the strikes on September 2, following a massive buildup of American maritime forces in the Caribbean as part of what the Trump administration calls “war on cartels.”
UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča, briefing the UNSC members, said that Venezuelan authorities have announced, “They remain on high alert since the United States military deployments were first reported in August.”
He said that the US operations have heightened tensions in the region, and emphasized that efforts to counter drug trafficking “must be carried out in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter.”
The UN would continue to support diplomatic dialogue and measures to prevent further escalation, Jenča noted, calling on both Washington and Caracas to prioritize de-escalation and constructive engagement.
‘US wants to topple Maduro’
Venezuela sees the US strikes as preparation for an armed attack, and says the Trump administration is seeking to topple President Nicolás Maduro and is threatening “peace, security and stability regionally and internationally.”
“The belligerent action and rhetoric of the US government objectively point to the fact that we are facing a situation in which it is rational to anticipate that in the very short term, an armed attack is to be perpetrated against Venezuela,” Venezuela’s Ambassador to the UN, Samuel Moncada said at the Friday meeting, as quoted by the AP.
Moncada called on the UNSC to adopt measures to avoid the worsening of the situation, and approve a resolution obliging all members, including the US, to respect Venezuela’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Russia’s Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia addressed the session as well, saying Venezuela has been subjected to what he described as unprecedented pressure and threats of military invasion. He also said the US is threating international peace and security through its military activity off Venezuela’s coast.
IRNA