Trump Closes Venezuela Airspace After Threatening Ground Action
Move escalates tensions as reports suggest Trump Maduro phone call; Venezuela calls decision ‘hostile’
US, Nov 30 : President Donald Trump has intensified pressure on Venezuela, declaring its airspace closed just days after he reportedly spoke directly with President Nicolas Maduro and hinted at possible land-based military action.
In a brief post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump announced, “… please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.” The message was directed not only at airlines and pilots but also at “Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers,” linking the warning to his wider crackdown on illegal migration and narcotics trafficking.
For several weeks, US forces have carried out airstrikes on vessels suspected of transporting drugs in international waters, targeting more than 20 boats and killing over 80 people. On Thursday, Trump suggested that land operations were imminent, saying, “We’ll be starting to stop them by land,” and adding that such action would begin “very soon.”
Venezuela condemned Trump’s declaration, calling it “hostile and unjustified” and accusing Washington of reviving colonial-era tactics. The region has seen a major buildup of US military presence, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford and 15,000 personnel deployed nearby.
According to The New York Times, Trump and Maduro recently held a phone call in which they discussed a potential direct meeting. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, known for his hardline stance on Venezuela, was reportedly also part of the conversation. Neither government has confirmed the report.
Media outlets previously suggested that Maduro offered Washington access to Venezuela’s oil reserves and other concessions, while seeking to remain in power for two more years a proposal Trump is unlikely to accept.
Last week, the US designated Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organisation, alleging that Maduro oversees the group. The classification could allow Trump to frame any action against Venezuela as an anti-drug operation rather than a war, sidestepping legal requirements for congressional approval and shielding himself from accusations of pursuing foreign regime change.
Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer criticised Trump’s escalating posture, warning, “Under our Constitution, Congress has the sole power to declare war not the president,” and said Trump’s “reckless actions towards Venezuela” are pushing the US toward “another costly foreign war.”
