• Trump said it would be “smart” for Maduro to step down as U.S. enforces naval blockade
• Russia pledged “full support” for Venezuela while China condemned U.S. “cowboy behavior”
• Emergency UN Security Council meeting held Tuesday amid escalating Caribbean crisis

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TDR) — President Donald Trump said Monday it would be “smart” for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to step down as the United States enforces a naval blockade and pursues sanctioned oil tankers, escalating a confrontation that drew Russia and China to Venezuela’s defense at an emergency UN Security Council meeting Tuesday.

“If he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever able to play tough.”

Maduro fired back hours later, saying Trump “would be better off in his own country on economic and social issues.”

Russia, China Coordinate International Response

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pledged “full support” for Venezuela in a Monday phone call with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil. The ministers agreed to “coordinate their actions on the international stage, particularly at the UN, in order to ensure respect for state sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs.”

At Tuesday’s Security Council meeting, Russia’s representative characterized U.S. actions as “cowboy behavior” while China’s Sun Lei condemned “unilateralism and bullying.” Venezuelan Ambassador Samuel Moncada told the council his country faces “the greatest extortion known in our history.”

U.S. Intensifies Naval Operations

The confrontation escalated after Trump announced December 16 a blockade of “sanctioned oil vessels” sailing to and from Venezuela. U.S. forces have seized three oil tankers in recent weeks, with the Coast Guard intercepting the Centuries tanker Saturday.

Trump claims Caracas uses oil revenues to finance “drug terrorism, human trafficking, murder and kidnapping” and has demanded Venezuela return assets seized from U.S. oil companies years ago.

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U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz defended the operations Tuesday, saying “the United States will do everything in its power to protect our hemisphere, our borders, and the American people.” He repeated allegations that Maduro heads the Cartel de los Soles, a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Venezuela Warns of Global Energy Impact

Gil read a letter signed by Maduro warning the U.S. blockade “will affect the supply of oil and energy” globally. Venezuela, which holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, declared itself “prepared to defend its sovereignty, its territorial integrity and its resources in accordance with international law.”

The military buildup represents the largest U.S. deployment in the Caribbean in generations. Trump has ordered strikes on more than two dozen vessels allegedly smuggling drugs, killing at least 104 people since September. The operations have drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and human rights activists questioning their legality.

Historical Context of U.S.-Venezuela Oil Disputes

American oil companies dominated Venezuela’s petroleum industry until the country moved to nationalize the sector in the 1970s and again under Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chávez. In 2014, an international arbitration panel ordered Venezuela to pay $1.6 billion to ExxonMobil for insufficient compensation.

Trump told reporters Monday he had spoken with American oil companies about “what a post-Maduro Venezuela would look like,” suggesting regime change remains among Washington’s objectives despite not explicitly confirming it.

Can economic pressure and naval blockades achieve regime change in Venezuela without direct military intervention, or will international opposition from Russia and China prevent the Trump administration’s strategy from succeeding?

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