CARACAS – In recent weeks, the United States has intensified its policy of maximum military pressure against the government and people of Venezuela by sending eight warships and a nuclear submarine to Caribbean waters near the Venezuelan coast.

This action violates the Declarations of Tlatelolco and CELAC, which declare the Caribbean waters and the Latin American region as zones free of nuclear weapons and armed conflicts, respectively.

This action is being promoted by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a political figure associated with the Miami anti-communist lobby and linked to drug trafficking since the beginning of his political career.

The stated justification for the deployment is the alleged fight against drug trafficking, despite the fact that the United States is the world's leading consumer of drugs. In reality, however, the aim is to pressure the Bolivarian government of Venezuela to achieve what they call a “change of political regime” in our country. For the past 25 years, Venezuela's foreign policy has championed anti-imperialism and advocated for the self-determination and sovereignty of peoples—two principles that are at odds with the objectives of the White House.

The truth is that this latest aggression adds to Washington's long-standing attempts to overthrow the Bolivarian Revolution, efforts in which they have repeatedly failed.

The Venezuelan response to this new threat has been to prepare to defend the country's sovereignty under any scenario, including war. According to figures provided by President Maduro this past Monday, 8.2 million combatants are enrolled in the Bolivarian Militia, a volunteer corps associated with the Armed Forces.

We Venezuelans are a peaceful, peace-loving people, yet we bear on our shoulders the heroic legacy of Simón Bolívar and his liberating armies, who crossed mountains, rivers, and valleys to liberate half the continent. Therefore, our sovereignty and territorial integrity are non-negotiable and must always be respected.