Venezuela Slams Trump’s Airspace Closure Assertion as Aggression

Mon Dec 01 2025 00:39:56 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Venezuela has expressed strong condemnation of US President Donald Trump's declaration regarding the airspace around the country, labeling it as an act of illegal aggression against its sovereignty.

Venezuela's foreign ministry reacted sharply to President Trump's comments about closing the airspace above the country, deeming the remarks as a colonialist threat. The statement followed increased US military presence in the region, with concerns raised by members of Congress over the implications for US-Venezuela relations.

Venezuela has condemned US President Donald Trump's statement that the airspace around the country should be considered closed.

The country's foreign ministry called Trump's comments another extravagant, illegal and unjustified aggression against the Venezuelan people.

The US does not have legal authority to close another country's airspace and the Venezuelan statement accused Trump of making a colonialist threat.

The US has built its military presence in the area and carried out at least 21 strikes on boats it says were carrying drugs, killing more than 80. It has not provided evidence and Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro says the US moves are an attempt to oust him.

Trump wrote on Truth Social: To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Some Democratic and Republican members of the US Congress have expressed anger that Trump has not sought legislative approval, with Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer and Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene emphasizing that Congress holds the power to declare war.

Trump's comments come shortly after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned airlines of heightened military activity in and around Venezuela, prompting several airlines to suspend flights.

In response, Venezuela's foreign ministry urged the international community, the UN, and relevant multilateral organizations to reject what it termed an immoral act of aggression. Simultaneously, the military conducted exercises along its coast, showcasing anti-aircraft weapons.

The US has positioned the USS Gerald Ford, its largest aircraft carrier, near Venezuela, with around 15,000 troops involved in what the US claims is a drug trafficking prevention operation.

Venezuela views the US's military maneuvers as a guise for seeking to unseat Maduro, whose regime has faced numerous accusations of autocracy and electoral manipulation.

Venezuelan interests have been further complicated by US sanctions and an attempt to designate the alleged Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization, a label the Venezuelan government fundamentally rejects.