Relations between the United States and Venezuela have entered a phase of maximum tension, marked by recent and repeated statements from U.S. President Donald Trump about the imminence of 'land' operations to combat drug trafficking in the Caribbean nation. President Trump publicly announced that after achieving a significant reduction in maritime drug trafficking, his administration is ready to proceed with direct land operations. Although the stated objective is to attack 'horrible people' linked to drug trafficking and not necessarily a large-scale military invasion, the mention of incursions into Venezuela and the warning that any country trafficking drugs to the U.S. 'could be attacked' set off all alarms in Caracas. 'Now we are starting by land, which is much easier,' he said, referring to the operational shift in the military offensive. However, the U.S. president warned that 'these are not just land attacks in Venezuela.' According to Trump's own calculations, the naval campaign saved about 25,000 American lives by reducing the entry of drugs by sea, but he admitted that the impact of naval operations is reaching a limit and the flow of drugs tends to diversify and seek new routes, especially land ones. 'Now we will start by land, and by land it is much easier,' he indicated in reference to the change in the operational nature of the military offensive. Nevertheless, the U.S. president anticipated that 'these are not just land attacks in Venezuela.' The deployment of Venezuelan military exercises and the willingness to defend the territory are a sign that Caracas is preparing for any eventuality, although President Maduro has maintained communications with allies such as Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart, to reaffirm the strategic nature of their relations in this context of crisis. This escalation is framed in a bilateral crisis that worsened in 2025 with the deployment of U.S. armed forces near the Venezuelan coast, including attacks on boats occupied by alleged drug traffickers. 'These are land attacks against horrible people who bring drugs and kill our people,' he reiterated.
