US President Donald Trump has openly signaled plans to launch ground-based military operations in Latin America under the pretext of a so-called “war on drugs,” a move widely viewed as a dangerous escalation of Washington’s long-standing interventionist policies.

The threat has drawn sharp condemnation from Venezuela, which says the real target of US aggression is not drug trafficking but the country’s vast energy resources.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Thursday, Trump declared that operations would begin “on land pretty soon,” offering no legal, international, or humanitarian justification for the move. “By land is a lot easier,” he said, in remarks that alarmed regional observers concerned about a return to direct US military intervention in sovereign Latin American states.

Trump explicitly referenced Venezuela, using inflammatory language to justify potential ground strikes. “Land strikes on Venezuela — it’s land strikes on horrible people that are bringing in drugs and killing our people,” he claimed, echoing unproven allegations that Caracas has consistently rejected as politically motivated fabrications.

The US president’s statements came just days after Washington seized a Venezuelan oil tanker in international waters, an act Caracas has condemned as outright piracy. Trump boasted about the seizure, saying, “We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela — large tanker, very large, largest one ever, actually — and other things are happening,” further reinforcing fears of economic warfare escalating into military confrontation.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro responded forcefully, accusing the United States of hiding its true intentions behind false drug trafficking narratives. “The mask has fallen,” Maduro said, denouncing what he described as imperialist aggression aimed at looting Venezuela’s natural wealth.

“The issue is not drug trafficking. It’s the oil they want to steal,” Maduro stated, warning that Venezuela’s oil, asphalt, and natural gas reserves are the real prize for Washington. Addressing the United States directly, he added, “Thief, get out of here.”

Caracas has long maintained that US accusations linking Venezuela to narcotics trafficking are part of a broader campaign of regime change, sanctions, and economic strangulation designed to break the country’s sovereignty and control its resources. Venezuelan officials argue that the US itself bears major responsibility for the global drug trade, while using weaker nations as scapegoats to justify intervention.

Trump’s latest threats have heightened concerns across Latin America that Washington is preparing to revive its history of military meddling in the region, undermining international law and national sovereignty. Venezuelan authorities insist the country will defend itself against any act of aggression and continue to resist what they describe as a renewed imperialist push to dominate Latin America under the false banner of security and counter-narcotics operations. (ILKHA)