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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has called on the United Nations to step in to help prevent “any bloodshed” in Venezuela, as pressure on the South American nation intensifies from the United States under President Donald Trump.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Sheinbaum criticised what she described as the UN’s lack of involvement, saying the organisation must take responsibility for promoting peace and avoiding violence. Her comments came a day after Washington announced a blockade targeting “sanctioned oil tankers” entering or leaving Venezuela.
The United States has in recent months expanded its military presence in the Caribbean, officially stating that the deployment is aimed at tackling drug trafficking across Latin America. Venezuelan authorities, however, view the operation as an attempt to weaken President Nicolas Maduro, whom the US and several other countries regard as an illegitimate leader, and to gain control of the country’s oil resources.
Sheinbaum stressed that Mexico’s stance remains opposed to foreign interference, regardless of differing views on Maduro’s leadership. She said Mexico believes international disputes should be resolved through dialogue and peaceful means rather than intervention, adding that this position is rooted both in conviction and in the country’s constitution.
Regional tensions have continued to grow. On Tuesday, Chile’s hard-right president-elect Jose Antonio Kast said he would support efforts to bring an end to what he described as Maduro’s dictatorship, increasing Trump’s backing in the region as the US president weighs possible strikes on Venezuelan territory.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Quito announced on Wednesday that US Air Force personnel had arrived in Ecuador’s Pacific port city of Manta for what it described as a temporary operation with the Ecuadorian Air Force, though no details were given on troop numbers or equipment.
The military build-up follows a series of controversial operations in the region. On Monday, US strikes on three vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean killed eight people, according to the US military. Since early September, US forces have targeted alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific, destroying at least 26 small vessels and leaving at least 95 people dead.
