Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez announced on Monday that the country is considering terminating energy agreements with Trinidad and Tobago, citing what she described as “hostile” actions by the island nation. The decision comes in response to Trinidad’s hosting of the USS Gravely, a U.S. guided-missile destroyer, which arrived on Sunday to conduct joint naval exercises. Rodríguez, who also serves as Venezuela’s Minister of Hydrocarbons, accused Trinidad’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of aligning with the U.S. “war-mongering agenda” and stated she would urge President Nicolás Maduro to withdraw from a 2015 agreement that facilitates joint natural gas exploration projects between the two nations. The narrow 7-mile (11-kilometer) bay separating the countries has been a focal point of cooperation, but recent developments have strained relations. Venezuela has condemned the U.S. military presence in the Caribbean as a threat to its sovereignty, alleging that the deployment of warships is part of a broader effort to destabilize Maduro’s government. Tensions have escalated further with the Trump administration’s recent announcement of deploying its largest aircraft carrier to the region, intensifying the geopolitical standoff.
Venezuela moves to cancel energy agreements with Trinidad after US warship arrives at island nation
