Caracas accuses Port of Spain of surrendering sovereignty to Washington by joining joint maneuvers in the Caribbean.

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The Venezuelan government on Sunday condemned Trinidad and Tobago’s participation in joint military exercises with the United States, describing the move as “a hostile provocation” coordinated by the U.S. Southern Command and “a grave threat to peace in the Caribbean.”

In a statement, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry accused the administration of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of having “abandoned the sovereignty of this country to operate as a military colony subordinated to U.S. hegemonic interests.”

The ministry said Port of Spain’s decision effectively turned its territory “into a U.S. aircraft carrier for war throughout the Caribbean—against Venezuela, against Colombia, and against all of South America.”

Vice President Delcy Rodríguez also rejected claims that the joint drills are defensive in nature, describing them instead as “a military aggression aimed at turning the Caribbean into a space of violence.” She asserted that Venezuela “will not accept threats from any government subordinated to the United States,” adding that its armed forces are prepared to respond to what she called “a most serious provocation.”

Rodríguez further reported that Venezuelan security forces had detained “a mercenary group with direct information from the CIA,” claiming that authorities had “determined that a false flag attack is underway from waters near Trinidad and Tobago or from within its territory.”

The joint exercises, held from October 26 to 30, involve the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Gravely and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. The deployment coincides with Washington’s mobilization of its largest military presence in the Caribbean since the 1990s, led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, heightening regional tensions.

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