Venezuela’s Minister of Defense, General in Chief (G/J) Vladimir Padrino López, said Tuesday that Colombia has the support of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) to guarantee security on the border and counter drug trafficking, and amid growing threats from the United States.

During his statement, Padrino López denounced that U.S. imperialism points to the president of Colombia as a drug trafficker, describing this action as a “crude, bizarre, senseless strategy” that offends the peoples of America and the Caribbean.

The minister said that these accusations seek to punish those who do not subordinate themselves to the interests of the United States. “Whoever does not kneel down and lower his head already runs the risk of being pointed out as a drug trafficker,” he said, criticizing the policy of “peace through force” promoted by Washington.

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In this context, he highlighted the deployment of more than 20 thousand troops in Operation Lightning of Catatumbo, ordered by President Nicolás Maduro, with the aim of maintaining peace on the border and expelling groups that generate violence, respecting Human Rights and national sovereignty.

He also highlighted the efforts of the FANB in the fight against drug trafficking, reporting that 411 aircraft have been neutralized in the national territory, including three captured in real time in Apure and Amazonas, and the destruction of six clandestine airstrips in the last week. “We are vigilant over the airspace,” he said, underscoring the commitment to protect Venezuelan sovereignty.

Padrino López also questioned the U.S. military presence in the Caribbean Sea, arguing that the fight against drug trafficking is used as a pretext to attack sovereignty and appropriate the region’s natural resources.

In this line, he stressed that “peace is not decreed with a club, nor with missiles,” but is a virtue that is built with daily effort.

“Peace is a human virtue, a human value, which is built day by day with great effort. Peace is not decreed with a club, nor with missiles,” the military leader said.

The minister called for constructive self-criticism, following the guidelines of President Maduro and Commander Hugo Chávez, to strengthen the cohesion of the FANB and advance in the self-determination of the Venezuelan people.

“Our Commander Chavez invited us to self-criticism and our Commander in Chief, Nicolás Maduro, invited us yesterday to constructive self-criticism, not divisive, it is the necessary self-criticism to move forward,” he stressed.

“Trust your FANB and the leadership of President Nicolás Maduro,” he emphasized, assuring that the armed forces are committed to the defense of “every inch” of the national territory

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