Latin American and United Nations leaders have expressed concern about rising tensions between the United States and Venezuela over the future of oil exports from the South American country.
The high-profile remarks came Wednesday as Venezuela’s National Assembly debated U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a total blockade on oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.
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Oil is Venezuela’s largest export and the mainstay of its economy. Experts have warned that the United States is trying to destabilize Venezuela’s economy and overthrow the leadership of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by threatening to cut the country off from overseas oil markets.
Tensions between the United States and Venezuela are already rising, with the Trump administration rapidly increasing military assets in the Caribbean and Maduro responding with military movements of his own.
This has led figures like UN Secretary-General António Guterres to call for calm and de-escalation in the region.
Guterres, through UN spokesman Farhan Haq, called on both countries to “respect their obligations under international law” and “protect peace in the region.”
Guterres also spoke by phone with Maduro on Wednesday, reiterating the need for both sides to respect international law.
But Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum questioned whether the United Nations was taking enough precautions to prevent a full-scale conflict from erupting in the Americas.
“I call on the United Nations to play its role. The United Nations does not exist. The United Nations must play its role to prevent bloodshed,” Sheinbaum said at a news conference Wednesday morning.
She echoed Guterres’ appeal to find a “peaceful solution” to tensions, adding: “We want dialogue and peace, not intervention.”
Regional tensions were also felt at a ministerial meeting in Brazil on Wednesday, where President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spoke about the conflict.
“I’m concerned about Latin America. I’m concerned about President Trump’s attitude and threats toward Latin America. We need to pay close attention to this issue,” Lula said.
The Brazilian leader said he spoke with President Trump about Venezuela and urged him to find a diplomatic solution.
“The power of words is more valuable than the power of weapons,” Lula reportedly told Trump. “If you want to do it, it won’t take much money or time.”
He added that he offered his services to Brazil as an intermediary to facilitate communication with Venezuela. The country shares a border with Venezuela to the north, and President Lula previously restored relations with Brazil and the Maduro government in 2022.
“I said to President Trump, ‘If you’re interested in talking to Venezuela on good terms, we can contribute. Come on, we have to be willing to talk. We have to be patient,'” Lula said.
The comments came in the wake of President Trump’s latest threat on Tuesday.
The US leader announced on his online platform Truth Social that he would designate the Maduro regime as a “foreign terrorist organization” and implement a “total and complete blockade of all licensed oil tankers entering and exiting Venezuela.”
“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest armada in South American history,” Trump wrote. “It’s going to be even bigger and the impact for them is going to be like nothing they’ve ever seen before.”
President Trump has already offered a $50 million reward for any information leading to Maduro’s capture, and his administration has sent about 15,000 troops to the Caribbean, as well as military aircraft and warships, including the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford.
The Trump administration seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela last week, claiming the ship was under sanctions. President Trump said the tanker’s oil would remain in the United States.
Since his first term, President Trump has led a “maximum pressure” campaign against Maduro’s regime, which has been accused of human rights abuses ranging from torture to illegal imprisonment of political dissidents.
Maduro also declared victory in a closely contested presidential election last year that critics called fraudulent, but a deadly crackdown on protesters followed.
But critics have accused Trump of using his feud with Maduro as an excuse to expand presidential powers and take controversial actions in the Caribbean.
For example, since September 2, the Trump administration has bombed at least 25 boats and ships as part of its anti-drug campaign. The attack, which killed an estimated 95 people, has been likened by UN experts to extrajudicial killings in violation of international law.
But Trump maintains the airstrikes were necessary and has accused Maduro and other Latin American leaders of trying to flood the United States with drugs and criminals, a claim for which there is little evidence.
The identities of those on board the bombed ship remain largely unknown.
