Venezuela has strongly rejected remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump claiming that the country’s oil, land, and mineral resources belong to the United States, vowing never to surrender its sovereignty or natural wealth.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Tuesday, the Bolivarian Republic described Trump’s statements as a “grotesque threat” and a grave violation of international law, free trade, and freedom of navigation. Venezuela announced that its ambassador to the United Nations will immediately denounce the remarks at the UN.
The government accused Trump of promoting an interventionist and colonialist agenda, alleging he had openly declared that Venezuela’s oil, land, and other assets should be “returned” to the United States. Caracas dismissed the claim as dangerous and warned against what it described as attempts to justify an illegal naval blockade aimed at seizing Venezuelan resources.
“Venezuela will never again be a colony of any empire or foreign power,” the statement said, stressing national unity among civilians, the military, and security forces in defense of the country’s independence.
The statement reaffirmed Venezuela’s sovereignty over its natural resources and its right to free navigation and trade in the Caribbean Sea and international waters, citing protections under international law and the UN Charter.
Invoking independence hero Simón Bolívar, the government concluded with a message of defiance, declaring that history has shown “free men defeating powerful empires.”
The latest exchange marks a sharp escalation in rhetoric between Caracas and Washington, with Venezuela framing the dispute as part of a broader struggle against foreign interference and economic coercion.
