Trump imposes blockade on Venezuela and opens military offensive for oil

The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, classified as “absolutely irrational and grotesque” the decision of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to impose a “total and complete” blockade on all oil tankers entering and leaving the country. In an official statement, Maduro stated that the measure has an explicit objective: “to steal the wealth of our homeland”, in direct reference to the largest oil reserves in the world, located in Venezuelan territory.

For the Bolivarian government, this is an act of economic war and naval piracy, which violates international law, the UN Charter and the principles of free navigation and free trade. Caracas announced that it will turn to the United Nations to denounce what it called “serious imperialist aggression” and reaffirmed that it will not accept any form of foreign tutelage.

Blockade, sanctions and military threat

The blockade decreed by Trump comes amid an unprecedented escalation of US pressure on Venezuela. Since August, the United States has intensified its military presence in the Caribbean, sending warships, aircraft and thousands of soldiers, as well as attacks and seizures of Venezuelan vessels, resulting in almost a hundred deaths.

On social media, Trump even stated that Venezuela is “completely surrounded” and accused the country of “stealing oil and land” from the US — statements seen by analysts as an open confession of predatory ambitions. Reports from New York Times reinforce that, despite the official discourse about combating drug trafficking, oil is the true focus of the North American offensive.

PCdoB denounces neocolonial piracy

In an official note released this Tuesday (17), the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB) harshly condemned the blockade imposed by the United States, classifying it as “illegal, arbitrary and aggressive”. According to the party, this is “neocolonial piracy” and another chapter in the historic policy of plundering Latin American wealth by North American imperialism.

“The blockade of oil tankers is an explicit attempt to strangle the Venezuelan economy, control its oil and impose, by force, a project of submission that the people of Latin America have rejected for decades,” the note states. The PCdoB reiterated total solidarity with the people and government of Venezuela and called on progressive and democratic forces in the world to demonstrate against Washington’s warmongering escalation. “Latin America is not the backyard of any empire”, concludes the text.

Federal deputy Orlando Silva (PCdoB-SP) was also very direct: “The repeated attacks and blockade of ships are hateful acts of war, which violate international law and threaten peace. Trump doesn’t even pretend anymore: it was never about fighting cartels, it was always about imperialism trying to steal oil and impose a puppet government.”

Lula warns of risk of war in Latin America

In Brazil, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed strong concern about the Trump administration’s attitudes and the possibility of an armed conflict in the region. During a ministerial meeting at Granja do Torto, Lula stated that the country needs to be “very attentive” to threats against Latin America.

“I’m worried about Latin America. I’m worried about President Trump’s attitudes, about the threats. We’re going to have to be very attentive to this issue,” he declared. Lula also revealed that he offered to act as an interlocutor between Washington and Caracas, defending dialogue as an alternative to war. “The power of words can be worth more than the power of weapons,” he said.

The president even asked Chancellor Mauro Vieira not to be absent during the recess, given the risk of an imminent military crisis, and highlighted that the historical tradition of peace on the South American continent cannot be broken. “Here we don’t have nuclear weapons or the habit of war,” he said.

China and Russia react to the US offensive

The North American escalation also provoked a strong international reaction. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi declared that Beijing rejects “all forms of unilateral harassment” and expressed support for Venezuela’s sovereignty during a conversation with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it is available to respond to any request for help from Caracas and warned that attacks by the United States could generate “unpredictable consequences” for the entire Western world. Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated solidarity with Maduro and reinforced his intention to expand bilateral cooperation, especially in the energy sector.

Oil at the center of the imperial dispute

Despite the sanctions and the blockade, the Venezuelan government claims that oil exports continue to operate, with technical and legal support from PDVSA. Still, experts warn that the US offensive represents a qualitative leap in aggression against Venezuela and could destabilize the entire region.

For progressive governments, left-wing parties and international analysts, the crisis exposes the true objective of Trump’s policy: to take, by force, control over Venezuela’s energy wealth. A movement that, in addition to being illegal, puts regional peace at risk and reinforces the need for a firm response from the international community against imperialism and in defense of the sovereignty of the people.