Maduro vows to declare 'republic in arms' if US forces attack Venezuela

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. (Photo/Reuters)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has warned he would "constitutionally declare a republic in arms" if the country were attacked by US forces deployed to the Caribbean.

His comments at a news conference came on Monday as Washington prepared to expand its maritime presence in the region to combat drug cartels.

While the US has not signalled any planned land incursion, thousands of personnel are being deployed, prompting Caracas to mobilise troops along its coast and border with Colombia and to call for civilian enlistment.

"In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum preparedness for the defence of Venezuela," Maduro said, describing the buildup as "an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat."

Smuggling fentanyl

The US Navy currently has two Aegis guided-missile destroyers — the USS Gravely and the USS Jason Dunham — in the Caribbean, along with the destroyer USS Sampson and the cruiser USS Lake Erie elsewhere in Latin America.

The deployment follows President Donald Trump’s push to use the military against cartels he blames for smuggling fentanyl and other drugs into US communities.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, citing a UN report, said the narrative behind the deployment was "false," noting that 87 percent of Colombian cocaine is shipped through the Pacific and only five percent via Venezuela.

He warned the US buildup "threatens the entire region" and could trigger destabilisation.

"Let us immediately demand an end to this deployment, which has no other reason than to threaten a sovereign people," Gil told members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States during a virtual meeting.

Maduro also insisted he was the legitimate winner of last year’s presidential election, though many countries, including the US, have refused to recognise him.

He said his government maintains two lines of communication with the Trump administration, while accusing Secretary of State Marco Rubio of being a "warlord" pushing for regional conflict.

US military action against Venezuela, Maduro warned, would "stain" Trump’s "hands with blood."

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Source: TRT