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The National Assembly of People’s Power of the Republic of Cuba issued a statement strongly condemning “the recent act of piracy and maritime terrorism carried out by the United States government in international waters of the Caribbean Sea” on December 10, when US military forces attacked an oil tanker near the Venezuelan coast.

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In the statement, Cuban deputies reject the imposition of a “so-called naval blockade against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” a measure that, according to the text, “constitutes a very serious violation of International Law and the Charter of the United Nations,” as well as representing a direct threat to regional peace.

The #US president declares a naval #blockade on oil exports from #Venezuela. The announcement has been rejected by the Venezuelan government and other countries. pic.twitter.com/NnHTidZU8U

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 18, 2025

The statement emphasizes that these actions are part of an “escalation of aggression by the United States government against the sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” within the framework of a military deployment that, according to Havana, is “disproportionate and unjustified” and jeopardizes the stability of the Caribbean.

The document also states that the assault on the vessel, the seizure of its cargo, and the pretexts used to obstruct Venezuelan oil trade demonstrate “Washington’s true objective: to seize control of its immense natural resources.”

For Cuba, this strategy is part of the so-called “new National Security Strategy” of the United States and what it describes as the “Trump Corollary,” which reaffirms the nefarious Monroe Doctrine.

🔴🇨🇺Cuba respalda al Gobierno de Maduro frente al bloqueo naval de EEUU🇺🇸

🔹El presidente de Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, ha repudiado el “bloqueo naval” impuesto por EE.UU. contra Venezuela🇻🇪 y expresado apoyo al Gobierno del país bolivariano.

🔗https://t.co/l5YOaEksH2 pic.twitter.com/H4zh4QdMbR

— HispanTV (@Nexo_Latino) December 17, 2025

The Cuban National Assembly emphasizes that the reported acts flagrantly violate the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, setting a “very negative precedent for free international trade and freedom of navigation between sovereign nations.”

Recalling that Latin America and the Caribbean was proclaimed a “Zone of Peace” at the Second CELAC Summit held in Havana in 2014, the Cuban Parliament urges the peoples and parliaments of the world to “firmly condemn this escalation of aggression against the Bolivarian nation” and to mobilize against “these practices of modern piracy.”

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In a statement published Wednesday morning by Wikileaks, its founder, Julian Assange, announced that he had filed a criminal complaint in Sweden accusing 30 people associated with the Nobel Foundation, including its directors, of “committing serious suspected crimes, including the crime of misappropriation of funds, facilitation of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and financing the crime of aggression” following the awarding of the so-called Nobel Peace Prize to the Venezuelan right winger María Corina Machado.

The complaint, filed simultaneously with the Swedish Economic Crime Authority (Ekobrottsmyndigheten) and the Swedish War Crimes Unit (Krigsbrottsenheten), alleges that the suspects, including Nobel Foundation chair Astrid Söderbergh Widding and executive director Hanna Stjärne, turned “an instrument of peace into an instrument of war.”

In the statement published on Wikileaks, Assange argues that Maria Corina Machado’s past and present actions categorically exclude her from the criteria set out in Alfred Nobel’s will, which explicitly states that the peace prize should be awarded to the individual who during the previous year “has conferred the greatest benefit to mankind.”

On the contrary, Assange argues that “Machado’s incitement of the largest US military reinforcement since the Iraq War makes her categorically ineligible” for the prize. Machado has been front and center in calling for the overthrow of Venezuela’s democratically elected government by any means necessary, including violence, for the better part of three decades.

The Wikileaks statement notes that the Nobel announcement and ceremony took place amid what military analysts describe as “the largest US military deployment in the Caribbean since the Cuban Missile Crisis,” which now exceeds 15,000 troops, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.

The escalation continues as President Trump announced on December 10 (two days after the Nobel ceremony) that US attacks would begin on land. The strategy for Venezuela is part of what Trump’s Secretary of War, Peter Hegseth, calls a shift toward “maximum lethality, not lukewarm legality” and toward “going on the offensive.”

Machado has incited the Trump administration to war against VenezuelaIn the text, Assange claims that “Machado has continued to urge the Trump administration to continue on its path of escalation” and has gone as far as promising the US administration access to US $1.7 trillion in oil reserves and other natural resources through the privatization of the oil industry once Maduro is overthrown.

“Using her elevated position as a Nobel Peace Prize winner, Machado may well have tipped the balance in favor of war, facilitated by the suspects named,” Assange states in the criminal complaint, which includes recent quotes from Machado that, in his view, incite war against Venezuela:

• December 15, 2025, Machado on CBS’s Face the Nation: “I say this from Oslo right now: I have dedicated this award to President Trump because I believe he has finally put Venezuela where it belongs, as a priority for US national security.”
• October 30, 2025, interview with Bloomberg: “Military escalation may be the only way out… The United States may need to intervene directly.”
• October 17, 2025, call to Benjamin Netanyahu about Israel’s conduct in Gaza: “The Nobel Peace Prize winner told the Prime Minister that she greatly appreciates his decisions and decisive actions during the war.”
• October 2025, interview with Fox News: Machado referred to US military strikes on civilian ships, which have killed at least 95 people to date, as “justified” and “visionary.”
• October 5, 2025, interview in The Sunday Times on the increase in US troops and extrajudicial attacks on civilian vessels: Trump’s attacks are “visionary… I fully support his strategy.”
• February 2025, interview with Donald Trump Jr.: “We are going to drive the government out of the oil sector… American companies are going to make a lot of money… Forget Saudi Arabia, we have more oil.”
• February 9, 2019, interview with El País: Maduro will only leave “in the face of a real threat from a more powerful state,” she claimed.
• February 25, 2014, testimony before the US Congress: “The only path left is the use of force.”

They point out in the text that the Nobel Foundation is guilty of “facilitating war crimes, including the crime of aggression and crimes against humanity, in violation of Sweden’s obligations under Article 25 (3) (c) of the Rome Statute, because the defendants are aware of Machado’s incitement and support for the carrying out of international crimes by the United States and knew or should have known that the disbursement of Nobel money (11 million kronor) would contribute to extrajudicial executions of civilians and shipwrecked persons at sea and are failing to comply with their obligation to cease disbursements.”

In the text, Assange requests the immediate freezing of the monetary prize of 11 million Swedish kronor (equivalent to about US $1.2 million) and any remaining related budget; guarantees of the return of the medal, investigation of the named individuals, officials of the Foundation, and associated entities for breach of trust, facilitation of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and conspiracy; seizure of board minutes, emails, group chats, and financial records; questioning of Widding, Stjärne, and other Nobel Prize board members as suspects in the case; and thorough investigation at the national level or referral of the matter to the International Criminal Court.

A post on the social media network X by Wikileaks includes a screenshot of the message posted last night by Donald Trump, on his social media network Truth, announcing a naval blockade against “sanctioned” oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela.

Venezuela Strongly Condemns US Threat of Blockade, Gains International Backing

About Julian Assange
Julian Assange is an Australian programmer, journalist, and cyberactivist known worldwide as the founder and spokesperson for WikiLeaks, an organization that publishes leaks of classified government and military documents.

WikiLeaks, founded in 2006, gained international fame in 2010 after publishing thousands of classified US documents leaked by former US soldier Chelsea Manning. Among the most notorious materials is the video Collateral Murder, which shows an attack from a US helicopter in Baghdad in 2007 in which civilians and journalists were killed in cold blood.

For 14 years, Assange was subjected to judicial persecution at the hands of the US and its vassals, which forced him to seek asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Under the government of Lenin Moreno, Ecuador withdrew his asylum, and he was arrested by British police and threatened with extradition to the United States, where he could have faced the death penalty for publishing the classified documents.

In June 2024, Assange reached an agreement with the US Department of Justice and was sentenced to time served (the five years he had already spent in British prison). Following the agreement, he was released, and he returned to Australia.

(Alba Ciudad)

SL

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It included major maintenance of 120 cabins and the replacement of 5,000 meters of communication cable.

On Thursday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro highlighted the comprehensive rehabilitation of the Mariche Metrocable as a feat of Venezuelan engineering and the people’s will to guarantee a future of peace and justice.

RELATED: President Maduro: We Oppose All Forms of Colonialism

President Maduro affirmed that Venezuela has learned to overcome obstacles with creativity and innovation, demonstrating strength in the face of difficulties imposed by external factors. He reiterated that no external measure can stop the Venezuelan people’s determination to maintain their sovereignty.

The President visited the facilities of the Mariche Metrocable System in the Sucre municipality of Miranda state and verified its operation as a mass transit system that benefits more than 130,000 residents.

The restoration work included major maintenance of 120 cabins, replacement of 5,000 meters of communication cable, and the installation of 5,000 meters of fiber optic cable. The auxiliary motor was also reactivated, and the main electric drive motors were restored, which guarantees safe operations.

The Ministry of Popular Power for Transportation developed the project in conjunction with the “Together Everything is Possible” Corporation, with the support of community organizations and communal councils.

President Maduro also announced the 2025-2026 Communal Rice Plan, which encompasses 4,000 hectares under cultivation, reaffirms the commitment to the 14 productive sectors, and the continuity of national production.

#ENVIVO | El presidente de Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro: En 1958 se aprueba el primer tratado internacional, firmado por todos los gobiernos del mundo, así que es obligación de todos los gobiernos del mundo calificar la piratería como grave crimen en alta mar y castigarla… pic.twitter.com/idqv0jtQJV

— teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) December 18, 2025

The text reads, “In 1958, the First International Treaty was approved, signed by all the governments of the world, so it is the obligation of all the governments of the world to classify piracy as a serious crime on the high seas and punish it severely.”

The President remarked that recognition “belongs to patriots,” who are those who fight alongside the people and defend their ideals unwaveringly in the face of any adversity. He maintained that Venezuela has earned international respect for defending its freedom and advancing steadily toward peace.

He declared that “doubt is treason” when defending land, mineral wealth, and sovereignty. The President asserted that International Law condemns acts of maritime aggression as a grave crime, recalling the 1958 agreements and the 1982 treaties against piracy.

President Maduro denounced the seizure of the Zkipper oil tanker by the United States as a serious crime under international law and treaties. He affirmed that, despite aggressions, Venezuela will continue to position its products in the global market and defend the national economy.

He also announced the nationwide distribution of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, so that the people are informed of the inalienable rights that guarantee the defense of their nation.

#FromTheSouth News Bits | Venezuela: The State oil company PDVSA denounced a cyberattack against its systems, assuring that its core operations remain unaffected. pic.twitter.com/07XLBc7OWi

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 18, 2025

teleSUR: JP

Source: VTV – Radio Miraflores

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Kremlin spokesman Peskov urges the U.S. to be cautious.

On Thursday, Russian Army Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said the U.S. blockade against Venezuela violates international law.

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Russia Warns Trump Against ‘Fatal Mistake’ in Venezuela

“The most alarming situation is unfolding around Venezuela, where Washington has set as its goal the removal of the country’s president, who was legitimately elected. At the same time, steps are being taken to block maritime traffic and air flights in the region, which violate international law,” Gerasimov commented during a meeting with foreign military attaches.

Also on Thursday, the Kremlin urged the United States to exercise caution regarding the situation surrounding Venezuela, warning it could have serious implications for the entire Western Hemisphere.

“We are observing an escalation of tensions in the region and consider this potentially very dangerous. Venezuela is our ally and partner,” said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, adding that Moscow maintains regular, high-level contacts with Caracas.

Donald Trump imposed a naval blockade on Venezuela and admitted that he wants to take the country's oil and give it to US corporations:

"They took our oil rights. We had a lot of oil there. They threw our companies out, and we want it back". pic.twitter.com/JQhJRNFeIy

— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) December 18, 2025

Since August, U.S. President Donald Trump has deployed a strong U.S. military presence in the Caribbean under the pretext of combating international drug trafficking. On Tuesday, he announced a “total blockade” against sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.

The following day, the U.S. president went further, claiming that Venezuela had stripped U.S. companies of oil rights and saying he wants them back.

In response to these acts of aggression and harassment, Venezuela requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. The date for the meeting, however, has not yet been set.

It's not just US piracy against Venezuela that has people in South America worried. The Trump administration's announcement that it's bringing back the bloody Monroe Doctrine has set off alarms across the continent. My story @telesurenglish pic.twitter.com/wudMYrzvdM

— BrianMier (@BrianMteleSUR) December 18, 2025

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says the United States can “never” turn the Latin American country into its “colony.”

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“On December 17, under the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike against a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters,” said U.S. Southern Command.

“Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was crossing a known drug trafficking route in the eastern Pacific and was involved in drug trafficking operations. A total of four male narco-terrorists were killed, and no U.S. military personnel were injured.”

On December 15, eight people lost their lives and three boats were destroyed in Pacific waters in an attack as part of President Donald Trump’s controversial anti-drug campaign.

VWith the operation carried out yesterday, at least 99 people have died and 25 boats have been sunk since September 2 in 24 attacks launched by the United States in the Caribbean and the Pacific, without judicial proceedings or a declaration of war from Congress.

jdt/jav/npg/dfm

The post Four dead in new US attack on vessel first appeared on Prensa Latina.

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The Sustainable Ocean Plan (SOP) establishes a long-term vision that translates the country’s international commitments into concrete, measurable, and coordinated actions, aligned with the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

According to information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the adoption of the SOP stems from Mexico’s accession to the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, comprised of 19 leading countries that have committed to sustainably managing all their marine areas.

BWithin this framework, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Inter-Ministerial Commission for the Sustainable Management of Seas and Coasts determined that the updated national policy on this matter would serve as the country’s Sustainable Ocean Plan.

This instrument—the result of more than two years of technical and inter-institutional work and an unprecedented consultation process with various sectors—integrates strategic issues such as sustainable fishing and aquaculture, as well as blue tourism.

It also addresses the conservation and restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems, and the strengthening of ocean science and knowledge, structured around six objectives, 17 strategies, and 91 lines of action, with clear goals and a defined timeframe.

jdt/jav/npg/las

The post Mexico strengthens protection of its marine heritage first appeared on Prensa Latina.

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The PT leader in the Chamber of Deputies, Lindbergh Farias, announced this possibility on social media, accusing the controversial initiative of having procedural flaws and content that violates the Constitution.

“Reducing sentences for crimes against the democratic rule of law is unconstitutional: it creates inadequate protection for democracy, violates a long-standing clause, constitutes a prohibited regression, encourages new coups d’état, and breaks the general and abstract nature of criminal law,” Farias wrote.

BDespite delays, the Constitution and Justice Committee and then the full Senate approved the Sentencing Bill yesterday.

The Senate committee certified, by a vote of 17 to 7, the initiative that reduces penalties and accelerates the progression of sentences for those convicted of crimes against the democratic rule of law.

Later, the full Senate also ratified the bill by a vote of 48 to 25.

jdt/jav/npg/ocs

The post PT-Brasil will appeal to the SC against the law that reduce sentence first appeared on Prensa Latina.

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According to local media reports, Polania’s body was found after her security detail alerted the police when they were unable to contact her despite several calls.

Once authorities gained access to the apartment, they discovered the judge’s body next to her two-month-old baby.

A report from W Radio indicated that the child was rushed to a clinic for a thorough medical evaluation.

Polania, 37, was involved in several scandals throughout her career.

News reports revealed that she was allegedly involved in an erotic show held just over two years ago inside the Cucuta Courthouse.

Because of this incident, the National Commission for Judicial Discipline ordered an investigation into officials and employees who appeared in a video recording during an alleged Valentine’s Day celebration.

The First Municipal Criminal Judge with Guarantee Control Functions in Cucuta also generated controversy for her unconventional practices regarding the administration of justice.

At the end of 2022, she was suspended for three months after appearing semi-nude and with a cigarette during a virtual hearing.

Polania also reported being a victim of workplace harassment and threats.

She revealed that due to these events, her mental health suffered, and she even disclosed that she received medical leave for a depressive syndrome.

abo/jav/npg/ifs

The post Colombia: Authorities investigate the death of a judge in Cucuta first appeared on Prensa Latina.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated that the US decision violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, and also damages the country’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity.

Guo noted that such actions send the wrong signals to separatist forces advocating for “Taiwan independence” and undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

The spokesperson underscored that external support for secession “will only backfire on those who promote it” and reiterated that using Taiwan to contain China will not succeed.

He added that the Taiwan issue is at the core of China’s fundamental interests and the first red line that must not be crossed in bilateral relations with the United States.

Both positions come amid a diplomatic crisis between Beijing and Tokyo, which has escalated following statements made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding Taiwan.

abo/iff/npg/idm

The post China rejects new US military sale plan to Taiwan first appeared on Prensa Latina.

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President Putin emphasizes that talks must be aimed at eliminating the root causes of the conflict.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated his willingness to end the conflict in Ukraine through peaceful means and stressed that his country is prepared to halt military actions once Russia’s medium- and long-term security conditions are guaranteed.

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Russian Military to Liberate Historic Territories in Ukraine if Diplomacy Fails

During his traditional annual marathon question-and-answer session with journalists, he underscored that Russia remains open to negotiations, provided they are based on clear principles and on the elimination of the root causes that gave rise to the crisis.

Putin said the conflict did not arise spontaneously, but instead originated with the 2014 coup d’etat in Ukraine, the rise of “Nazifascism” to power and repeated deceptions regarding a possible peaceful solution to the genocide of the Russian-speaking population in the Donbas region.

The Russian leader also said the Minsk agreements were never implemented by Ukraine and its Western backers. He added that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) deceived Russia by breaking its commitment not to expand eastward and by seeking to establish a bridgehead in Ukraine.

Putin SMACKS DOWN NBC 'journalist'

NBC reporter tries to cause drama by claiming that Russia is "rejecting" Trump's Ukraine peace offer, which therefore will make Russia "responsible" for any new casualties.

Watch Putin put him in his place pic.twitter.com/06JgYy4OhQ

— Sprinter Press (@SprinterPress) December 19, 2025

Putin said no new “special military operations” would be carried out if the West treats Russia with respect and takes its interests into account. He recalled that when the situation reached a critical point in 2012, Russia proposed allowing populations in southeastern Ukraine to live in peace, without persecution, without Russophobia and without impositions stemming from an unconstitutional change of power. These proposals, however, were rejected by the Ukrainian government.

Putin also pointed out that Ukraine initially accepted the agreements reached during negotiations held in Istanbul. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later refused to comply with those agreements, revealing a lack of genuine willingness to end hostilities.

To reach a peaceful settlement, Russia has set out conditions including recognition of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Crimea, and Sevastopol as part of the Russian Federation; the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Russian territories; and Ukraine’s neutrality, nonalignment, denuclearization, demilitarization, and denazification.

Also on Friday, Putin said he is willing to guarantee security in the event presidential elections are called in Ukraine, but he ruled out a full ceasefire. “We are ready to think about how to guarantee security… at least to cease or refrain from carrying out strikes in the rear on election day,” he said.

#FromTheSouth News Bits | Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Presidential Palace in New Delhi as part of an official visit to discuss issues of mutual interest. pic.twitter.com/pBjPBTG0EY

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 8, 2025

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: TASS – EFE – RT

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Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—In an escalation of the US empire’s ongoing illegal sanctions on Venezuela, President Donald Trump has announced a “full blockade” of the sovereign nation and its oil tanker fleet. He claimed the measure would remain in place until Venezuela “returns all the oil, land, and other assets” he alleged were previously stolen from the US. The announcement ignited an immediate response from the Venezuelan government, followed by all state institutions and international allies.

“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,” Trump wrote on social media this Tuesday, December 16, adding that “it will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before.”

He did not specify what oil, land, or assets he claims were stolen, nor did he elaborate on the bizarre claims of the so-called “war on drugs” argument that has seemed to take a backseat in recent days; something that Caracas has consistently condemned as an aggression against its sovereignty and an attempt to seize its natural resources.

In his post online, the US president attacked the Venezuelan government, labeling it an “illegitimate regime.” He accused it of using “oil from […] stolen fields to finance narcoterrorism, human trafficking, murder, and kidnapping,” refusing to provide any evidence for his fictitious claims. Venezuela has repeatedly proven that the nation has been robbed of billions of dollars in international bank accounts, two tons of gold seized by the Bank of England, and the CITGO Corporation. The oil retailer and refining corporation is owned by PDVSA and valued at more than $15 billion, with yearly revenue of about $4 billion.

Let's be clear: a military blockade is an act of war. Congress must authorize it. Is this policy or just another Trump social media moment?

The real asset theft? Billions of Venezuela's funds frozen in banks abroad, 2 tons of gold in the Bank of England, with the seizure of… pic.twitter.com/6wpkDiQExt

— Orinoco Tribune (@OrinocoTribune) December 17, 2025

Foreign terrorist organization designation
“For the theft of our assets, and for many other reasons, including terrorism, drug trafficking, and human trafficking,” continued Trump’s statement, “the Venezuelan regime has been designated a foreign terrorist organization. Therefore, today I am ordering a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.”

The US president also insisted on repeating other unfounded accusations, such as that Caracas supposedly sent “illegal immigrants and criminals” into the US. He stated the White House “will not allow criminals, terrorists or other countries to steal, threaten or harm” his country, nor allow “a hostile regime” to seize oil he claims to somehow be property of the US colonial entity, despite the resources being located in Venezuelan territory and belonging to the Venezuelan people.

“We will not give up”
Earlier on Tuesday, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro reiterated that, despite prolonged and multifaceted US aggression, Venezuela will defeat “the oligarchy and imperialism under any circumstances.”

“For 25 weeks, Venezuela has been denouncing, confronting, and defeating a multidimensional campaign of aggression that ranges from psychological terrorism to the piracy that has plundered our oil, and which has multiple forms,” he stated in an address to Venezuelan workers. “What has Venezuela demonstrated? […] That Venezuela is a strong country, that it has real power. And we have demonstrated that we are prepared to continue our march. And, what’s more, that we are prepared to accelerate the march of a profound revolution that will give power to the people, completely and definitively.”

Citizens have consistently taken to the streets to display support for Venezuelan authorities and their rejection of US imperialism, demonstrating their readiness to resist by any means, including through the use of force. On December 10, these protests included the mass condemnation of the seizure of a tanker carrying Venezuelan oil in the Caribbean Sea, an act denounced by Caracas that same day at the UN Security Council as an act of piracy.

Government communique
On Wednesday night, the Venezuelan government issued a statement in response to what many analysts consider a declaration of war by the US empire, despite the US president neglecting to request for the congressional approval mandated under US law.

The statement reiterates Venezuela’s full sovereignty over its natural resources, the right to free navigation and free trade, as well as its adherence to the UN Charter. “[The US’s] true intention,” it adds, “which has been denounced by Venezuela and the people of the US in large demonstrations, was always to appropriate the country’s oil, land, and minerals through gigantic campaigns of lies and manipulation.”

Below, you can read the full unofficial translation of the Venezuelan government’s statement:

A united Venezuela rejects Trump’s grotesque threat and will condemn it
On the night of December 16, 2025, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, violating International Law, free trade, and free navigation, has launched a reckless and serious threat against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

On his social media, he assumes that Venezuela’s oil, land, and mineral wealth are his property. Consequently, he claims that Venezuela must hand over all its riches to him immediately. The President of the United States is attempting to impose a supposed naval and military blockade on Venezuela in an utterly irrational manner, with the aim of stealing the wealth that belongs to our nation.

Venezuela, in full exercise of the International Law that protects us, our Constitution, and the laws of the Republic, reaffirms its sovereignty over all its natural resources, as well as its right to free navigation and free trade in the Caribbean Sea and the world’s oceans. Consequently, it will proceed, in strict adherence to the UN Charter, to fully exercise its freedom, jurisdiction, and sovereignty in the face of these warmongering threats.

Our Ambassador to the UN will immediately denounce this serious violation of International Law against Venezuela.

We call upon the people of the United States and the peoples of the world to reject by all means this extravagant threat, which once again reveals Donald Trump’s true intentions to steal the riches of the country that gave birth to the United Liberation Army of South America and to our Liberator, Simón Bolívar. The people of Venezuela, in perfect popular, military, and police unity, will know how to defend their historical rights and triumph through peace.

Mr. Donald Trump explicitly stated the following interventionist and colonialist expression: “until all the oil, land, and other assets that were previously stolen from us are returned to the United States.” His true intention, which has been denounced by Venezuela and the people of the United States in massive demonstrations, has always been to seize the country’s oil, land, and minerals through gigantic campaigns of lies and manipulation.

Venezuela will never again be a colony of any empire or foreign power and will continue to walk, together with its people, the path of building prosperity and the unrestricted defense of our independence and sovereignty.

The Venezuelan people, in perfect popular, military, and police unity, remain steadfast in the unrestricted protection of their territory, their resources, and their freedom. With our Liberator, we say: “Fortunately, a handful of free men have defeated powerful empires.”

Caracas, December 16, 2025.

Comprehensive state response
On Wednesday, the first institution to respond to the threat was the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB). Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, together with the FANB’s High Command, stated it would preserve at all costs the nation’s territorial integrity, its legitimate rights over airspace and maritime areas, and sovereignty, independence, and peace that the nation holds dear.

“We can say that Venezuela has scored a victory in the face of truth; the truth has been revealed,” the military commander warned. “It is now through force, no longer through sanctions, unilateral coercive measures, political, diplomatic, and media isolation, psychological terrorism; force and violence have been used, and those who resort to them are lost.”

He emphasized that Washington’s “war on drugs” narrative “has fallen apart in the eyes of international public opinion,” and that US imperialism is blatant in its desire for Venezuela’s natural resources. Furthermore, he rejected Trump’s accusations that Venezuela stole any assets of the US, claiming the true intentions of the empire “are nothing other than to force regime change in our country and grossly seize its oil and other strategic natural resources.”

Almost simultaneously, PDVSA issued a statement reporting that oil export operations are continuing as scheduled. “The export operations of Venezuelan crude oil and derivatives continue despite the attempted illegal and illegitimate blockade, through secure schemes and full guarantees,” reported Delcy Rodríguez, head of PDVSA and the vice president of Venezuela.

“Oil tankers linked to PDVSA operations continue to sail with full assurance, technical support, and operational guarantees, in the legitimate exercise of the rights to free navigation and free trade, widely recognized and protected by international law,” the statement reads, reiterating that PDVSA has remained active despite all of the US attacks it has endured.

Minutes later, the Moral Republican Council—formed by the Prosecutor’s Office, Comptroller’s Office, and Ombudsman’s Office, one of the five branches of the Venezuelan state—made a televised statement expressing its support for President Maduro in all measures he decides to take to safeguard Venezuela’s rights and sovereignty, describing Trump’s action as a brutal escalation.

The Moral Council made a “call to the people of the US and the peoples of the world to reject by all means this aberrant threat that reveals the true intentions of the US government to steal the resources of our country and our continent.”

In the afternoon, the National Assembly unanimously approved a resolution repudiating the US president’s announcement. The parliament agreed to defend “the full and inalienable sovereignty of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela over all its territory,” including its natural resources, emphasizing that they are “inviolable, inalienable, and under the absolute ownership and control of [Venezuela].”

The deputies called “upon the Venezuelan people to remain on alert and permanently mobilized in perfect popular, military, and police unity for the unrestricted defense of the historical rights of the homeland, thus ensuring peace and territorial integrity against any threat that seeks to disturb” Venezuela’s independence.

The peoples and governments of the world were also urged to “reject by all means this extravagant threat that undermines global peace and reveals US true intentions of plunder.”

Venezuela’s judicial branch joined in rejecting the US actions, as confirmed by the president of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), Caryslia Rodríguez. After reading an official statement, Rodríguez added that the imposition of a “naval blockade” constitutes an attack on sovereignty and a new violation of Venezuela’s constitution and international law.

“Today, we condemn [the US] and call for a united effort to restore and maintain ethical and legal values as instruments of peace, sovereignty, and equality among the peoples of the world,” Rodríguez stated. She explained that the TSJ supports the ratification of Venezuela’s sovereignty over its natural resources and its right to free navigation and free trade.

Venezuela Condemns US Piracy Before UN as Killings Resume; US Debate Heats Up, and Trinidad Lends Airports to US Military Operations

Local and international reaction
Chavista forces and leaders rejected the Trump announcement across social media, accompanied by public statements from far-right politicians who are not sympathizers of President Maduro or Chavismo, such as Bernabe Gutierrez, Enrique Ochoa Antich, and Henry Falcon, among others.

Latin American presidents and international allies have also expressed full support for Venezuela against what many consider to be an act of war that violates the UN Charter.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed deep concern over the belligerent US statements and over Europe’s silence on the matter. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated México’s historic position against foreign interventions and demanded the United Nations assume its due role as an international peacekeeping body to “avoid a bloodshed.”

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel had already expressed Cuba’s strong condemnation of a US naval blockade and its support for Venezuela and the Bolivarian Revolution.

Iran also issued a communiqué strongly rejecting the US threats. “The US interference with, as well as its seizure and obstruction of, the free passage of commercial vessels to or from Venezuela constitutes a clear case of state piracy and armed robbery at sea,” the statement reads. “Invoking US domestic laws and unilateral, illegal sanctions to justify these actions cannot, in any way, serve as a basis to legitimize such criminal acts.”

China reported that its minister for foreign affairs, Wang Yi, had a phone conversation with his Venezuelan counterpart Yván Gil, expressing opposition to the US empire’s unilateral bullying.

Even the German government expressed concern over Trump’s threats, warning of risks to regional peace and stability, as stated by spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry, Martin Giese. “The German government has an interest in preventing the situation in the region from deteriorating further,” he said during a press conference. “Therefore, we view the overall situation with concern. Of course, international law must be respected.”

The Venezuelan government announced on Wednesday night that President Maduro held a phone conversation with UN Secretary General António Guterres, in order to warn him about the growing escalation of US threats and their possible implications for regional peace. The head of state explained that Trump’s claims were supported by senior US official Stephen Miller, who said the Venezuelan oil industry was also to be owned by the US regime, which marks a direct colonial threat to Venezuela’s sovereignty and international law.

Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff

OT/JRE/AU

From Orinoco Tribune – News and opinion pieces about Venezuela and beyond via This RSS Feed.

Moscow and Caracas consolidate an alliance to protect the rights of the peoples of the Global South.

On Thursday, Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, warned about the foreign interests behind Maria Corina Machado and linked her to destabilizing projects. Zakharova recalled the failure of Juan Guaido’s coup attempt.

RELATED: Maria Corina Machado: A New Mediatic Show

The spokeswoman stated that figures like Machado and Guaido operate as tools of foreign governments that seek to create opposition structures financed to impose external objectives. She questioned whether they truly act in the best interests of the Venezuelan people.

Zakharova emphasized that, in contrast to these maneuvers, Russia and Venezuela maintain active cooperation in strategic areas, strengthen resistance against international pressure, and defend self-determination and sovereignty.

She also stressed that Moscow and Caracas consolidate an alliance to protect the rights of the peoples of the Global South. Meanwhile, extremist sectors persist with rhetoric of foreign military intervention in Venezuela.

A Venezuelan woman has a message for María Corina Machado: “We Venezuelan women are fierce fighters, but you’re a disgrace.” pic.twitter.com/gbk22X8YGY

— BreakThrough News (@BTnewsroom) December 12, 2025

The Russian position reinforces the rejection of foreign interference and supports political stability in the face of attempts to impose regimes subservient to Washington. It consolidates a common front against international pressure.

These statements came amid threats from U.S. President Donald Trump, who announced a total blockade on oil tankers trading with Venezuela and designated the country a foreign terrorist organization.

The White House carried out military operations in Caribbean waters to intimidate and seize commercial shipping, which Venezuela denounced as international piracy, and asserted that it will continue exporting crude oil to defend its economy.

#FromTheSouth News Bits | Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez: “The Russia-Venezuela relationship is unstoppable and indestructible.” pic.twitter.com/CjRA0uBtjk

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 1, 2025

teleSUR: JP

Source: teleSUR

From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.

Venezuela’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, presented a formal letter to the Security Council denouncing the boarding, hijacking, and theft of a Venezuelan oil shipment in international waters by the United States, characterizing it as an act of “maritime piracy carried out directly by a State.”

In his communication addressed to the President of the Security Council, Slovenian Ambassador Samuel Žbogar, Moncada emphasized that this incident “is not an isolated event,” but rather part of a “sustained policy of coercion and aggression” against Venezuela, based on “unilateral, illegal, and illegitimate coercive measures.”

RELATED:

U.S. Military Action Against Venezuela To Unleash a Second Vietnam: Lukashenko

The document states that such actions have escalated to practices that constitute, in legal terms, maritime piracy, expressly prohibited by International Law.

The letter refers to Article 101 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which defines piracy as “any unlawful act of violence, detention, or plunder committed on the high seas.”

Venezuela's permanent representative to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, calls on the #UN Security Council to immediately release the kidnapped crew, as well as the Venezuelan #oil illegally confiscated on the high seas, and to cease any interventionist action against the… pic.twitter.com/JYA1DycQd6

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 16, 2025

Moncada argued that when a state military force commits identical acts, the gravity of the act “aggravates the hostile action” and compromises the integrity of the multilateral system.

“The legal regime of the high seas protects freedom of navigation and lawful international trade; principles that have been flagrantly violated in this case,” the letter states.

Furthermore, it recalls that the Charter of the United Nations, in Article 2, paragraph 4, categorically prohibits the use of force in international relations, a matter under the exclusive competence of the Security Council, as defined in Articles 39 and 42. Venezuela reiterated that there is no authorization from the Security Council that justifies the violent boarding, the kidnapping of the crew, or the theft of the cargo.

The document also highlights that the Security Council itself has repeatedly condemned piracy through resolutions such as 1816 (2008), 1838 (2008), 2015 (2011), and 2634 (2022), recognizing it as a threat to international peace and security. Likewise, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has reiterated its rejection of such acts as a direct threat to maritime security.

Given this situation, Venezuela demands that the United States immediately release the kidnapped crew, return the confiscated oil, and cease all interference with its legitimate oil trade. It also urges the Security Council to publicly condemn this act, take action to preserve the safety of navigation, and prevent piracy from becoming entrenched as an instrument of political coercion.

Finally, the Bolivarian Government requested that it be reaffirmed, in writing, that there is no resolution authorizing actions against Venezuela or its oil trade, and that the communication be distributed as an official Council document to all member states.

From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani warned that Israel’s daily ceasefire violations jeopardize the entire agreement reached for Gaza, during his meeting in Washington with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

RELATED:

UN denounces Israel’s delays amid winter crisis in Gaza

Within the framework of the seventh Strategic Dialogue between the two nations, Sheikh Mohammed insisted on the urgent transition to the second phase of the agreement, given the worsening humanitarian crisis due to winter storms in the Palestinian enclave.

“The delays and ceasefire violations jeopardize the entire process and put the mediators in a difficult position,” declared the Qatari Prime Minister, whose country has acted as a key mediator in the negotiations. He further stressed that humanitarian aid must reach Gaza “without conditions” and that the immediate implementation of the second phase is essential to halt what he described as “Israel’s genocidal war against the besieged Palestinian enclave.”

Israel’s genocide in Gaza has killed at least 70,373 Palestinians, with near-daily attacks continuing during a so-called ‘ceasefire,’ amid widespread destruction and worsening weather conditions. pic.twitter.com/HWm7DA1rZZ

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) December 14, 2025

Since the ceasefire came into effect on October 10, Israel has violated the agreement at least 738 times, resulting in the deaths of at least 394 Palestinians and injuries to another 1,075.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated dramatically as severe winter storms

OCHA’s spokesperson further explained that logistical operations within the Gaza Strip are suffocated by the limited number of available routes for transporting supplies and the scarcity of operational crossings for aid entry. This combination of external restrictions and internal logistical bottlenecks is preventing life-saving assistance from reaching those most in need.

The agency called for the immediate removal of all bureaucratic and physical impediments, asserting that the international community possesses the technical capacity to mitigate the tragedy but is paralyzed by these restrictions. Humanitarian aid, OCHA reiterated, must reach those who are enduring extreme living conditions amidst the ruins and freezing temperatures

Qatar urged Washington to exert pressure on Israel to allow the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid, vital amid the extreme weather conditions affecting the region.

Winter is closing in on #Gaza.

Tents are collapsing under rain, children are freezing and exhausted families have nowhere left to go.

Humanitarians are delivering against all odds.

Restrictions must be lifted so we can reach more people before this winter claims more lives. pic.twitter.com/ti2OJFnu4P

— UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) December 13, 2025

From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.

Beijing condemns U.S. blockade announced by President Trump.

On Thursday, the Chinese government voiced its support for Venezuela’s request for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), following the blockade announced by U.S. President Donald Trump against the South American country.

RELATED:

Venezuela and China Discuss Regional Security After Trump Threatens Oil Blockade

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China “opposes all unilateral intimidation and supports all countries in safeguarding their sovereignty and national dignity.”

“Venezuela has the right to independently develop mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries,” Guo said.

“The international community understands and supports Venezuela’s position in protecting its legitimate rights and interests,” the spokesperson added.

These airstrikes are revolting.@PeteHegseth must be arrested and tried for war crimes. https://t.co/mjwPqplxGq

— CODEPINK (@codepink) December 18, 2025

On Wednesday, Venezuela requested an emergency UNSC meeting following the blockade announced by Trump. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke by phone with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, conveying China’s support amid escalating U.S. measures against the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

Trump announced this week a “total blockade” against sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, marking a significant escalation of the military deployment he launched in August in Caribbean waters under the pretext of combating drug trafficking.

Caracas, however, says the move is aimed at promoting a “regime change.” In recent weeks, Beijing has condemned U.S. actions, labeling them “interference” in Venezuela’s internal affairs.

Despite the illegal actions taken by the #US against Venezuela's oil and mineral trade, #Venezuela will continue to trade its natural resources #legally, says Venezuelan President #NicolasMaduro. pic.twitter.com/0nZJ5tKckR

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 18, 2025

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.

By Kit Klarenberg – Dec 11, 2025

New research published by Amnesty International exposes the disturbing internal workings of Intellexa, and its constellation of digital espionage products. This includes ‘Predator’, a highly invasive resource linked to grave human rights abuses in multiple countries. Intellexa’s menacing technology allows government customers to access target smartphones’ cameras, microphones, encrypted chat apps, emails, GPS locations, photos, files, browsing activity, and more. It’s just the latest example of an Israeli-linked spyware specialist acting with no consideration for the law – although one wouldn’t know that from Amnesty’s probe.

Intellexa is among the world’s most notorious “mercenary spyware”purveyors. In 2023, the company was fined by Greece’s Data Protection Authority for failing to comply with its investigations into the company. An ongoing court case in Athens implicates Intellexa apparatchiks and local intelligence services in hacking the phones of government ministers, senior military officers, judges and journalists. Oddly unmentioned by Amnesty International, Intellexa was founded by Tal Dilian, a senior former Israeli military intelligence operative, and is staffed by Zionist entity spying veterans.

Leaked Intellexa marketing slide

In March 2024, following years of damaging disclosures about Intellexa’s criminal activities, the US Treasury imposed sweeping sanctions on Dilian, his closest company confederates, and five separate commercial entities associated with Intellexa. Yet, these harsh measures were no deterrent to Intellexa’s operations. The company’s service offering has only evolved over time, becoming ever-more difficult to detect, and increasingly effective at infecting target devices. Typically, civil society and human rights activists, and journalists, are in the firing line.

On December 3rd, Google announced Intellexa’s targets numbered at least “several hundred”, with individuals based in Angola, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and elsewhere potentially affected. Predator frequently relies on “one-click” attacks to infect a device. Users open a malicious link, which installs spyware that breaks open their chats on Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp and other chat platforms, audio recordings, emails, device locations, screenshots and camera photos, stored passwords, contacts and call logs, and the device’s microphone.

The vast data trove then passes through a chain of anonymising servers to hide its end destination, before being received by a customer. Predator also boasts a number of unique features designed to obscure its installation on a device from targets. For example, the spy tool assesses a device’s battery level, and whether it’s connected to the internet via sim card data or WiFi. This allows for a bespoke extraction process, ensuring devices aren’t obviously drained of network or power, to avoid stoking user suspicion.

Aladdin’s Cave
If Predator senses it has been detected, the spyware will even “self-destruct” to leave no trace of its presence on an impacted device. The methods by which Intellexa installs its malign tech on target devices is just as ingenious, and insidious. On top of “one-click” attacks, Intellexa is a pioneer in the field of “zero-click” infiltration. Its resource ‘Aladdin’ exploits internet advertising ecosystems, so users need only view an ad – without interacting with it – for spyware to infect a device.

Such ads can appear on trusted websites or apps, resembling any other advert a user would normally see. This approach requires Intellexa to pin down a “unique identifier” – such as a user’s email address, geographical location, or IP – to accurately serve them a malicious advert. Intellexa’s government customers can often readily access this information, simplifying accurate targeting. Research published by Recorded Future indicates Intellexa has covertly established dedicated mobile ad companies to create “bait advertisements”, including job listings, to lure in targets.

Leaked Aladdin explainer

Aladdin has been under developmentsince 2022 at least, and only grown more sophisticated over time. Troublingly, Intellexa is not the only company active in this innovative spying field. Amnesty International suggests “advertisement-based infection methodologies are being actively developed and used by multiple mercenary spyware companies, and by specific governments who have built similar ADINT [advertising intelligence] infection systems.” That the digital advertising ecosystem has been subverted to hack the phones of unsuspecting citizens demands urgent industry action, which is as yet unforthcoming.

Just as disquietingly, a leaked Intellexa training video depicts how the Intellexa can “remotely access and monitor active customer Predator systems.” In effect, the firm is able to keep an eye on who its clients are spying on, and the precise private data they are extracting, in real-time. Recorded in mid-2023, the video begins with an instructor connecting directly to a deployed Predator system via TeamViewer, a commercial remote access software. Its contents suggest Intellexa can peruse at least 10 different customer systems simultaneously.

The 7 Richest Billionaires Are All Media Barons

This capability is amply highlighted in the leaked video, when a staff member asks their trainer if they’re connecting to a testing environment. In response, they state a live “customer environment” is being accessed instead. The instructor then initiates a remote connection, showing Intellexa staffers can access highly sensitive information collected by customers, including photos, messages, IP addresses, smartphone operating systems and software versions, and other surveillance data gathered from Predator victims.

The video also appears to show “live” Predator infection attempts against real-life targets of Intellexa’s clients. Detailed information is shown from at least one infection attempt against an individual based in Kazakhstan, including the malicious link they unwittingly clicked that enabled their device’s infiltration. Elsewhere, domain names imitating legitimate Kazakhstani news websites, designed to trick users, are displayed. The country’s government is a confirmed Intellexa client, and local youth activists have previously been targeted by the notorious, similarly Israeli-incubated Pegasus spyware.

Screenshot of Predator dashboard listing ongoing infections

‘Business Opportunity’
The leaked video raises a number of grave concerns about Intellexa’s operations. For one, the shadowy, high-tech digital spying entity employed TeamViewer, a commercial software about which major security concernshave long-abounded, to access highly sensitive, invasive information on customer targets. This raises obvious questions about who else might be able to pry on this trove. Moreover, there is no indication Intellexa’s clients approved this access for training process, or the tutorial was conducted with even basic safeguards in place.

As such, the targets of Intellexa’s suite of spying resources not only face having their most sensitive secrets exposed to a hostile government without their knowledge or consent, but a foreign surveillance company in the process. The extent to which Intellexa is cognisant of how its technology is used by its clients is a core point of contention in the ongoing Greek legal case. Historically, mercenary spyware companies have firmly insisted they aren’t privy to data nefariously seized by their customers. Amnesty International states:

“The finding that Intellexa had potential visibility into active surveillance operations of their customers, including seeing technical information about the targets, raises new legal questions about Intellexa’s role in relation to the spyware and the company’s potential legal or criminal responsibility for unlawful surveillance operations carried out using their products.”

The latest disclosures about Intellexa have all the makings of a historic, international scandal, in the precise manner the use of Pegasus by state and corporate entities the world over has elicited international outcry, criminal investigations, and litigation lasting many years. However, the proliferation of ominous private spying tools, and their industrial scale abuse by paying customers, is no aberrant bug, but an intended upshot of the Zionist entity’s relentless crusade for cyberwarfare supremacy. In 2018, Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu boasted:

“Cybersecurity grows through cooperation, and cybersecurity as a business is tremendous…We spent an enormous amount on our military intelligence and Mossad and Shin Bet. An enormous amount. An enormous part of that is being diverted to cybersecurity…We think there is a tremendous business opportunity in the neverending quest of security.”

This investment manifests in almost every area of Israeli society. Numerous universities in Tel Aviv, with state support, hone new technologies and train future generations of cyber spies and digital warriors, who then join the Zionist Occupation Force’s ranks. Once their military service is complete, alumni frequently found companies at home and abroad offering the same monstrous services road-tested against Palestinians to private sector bodies and governments, without any oversight or guarantee these resources won’t be used for malevolent purposes.

Intellexa founder and Israeli military intelligence veteran Tal Dilian

The intelligence failures that enabled the success of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in October 2023 did enormous damage to Israel’s credibility as a cybersecurity leader, while devastating its “Startup Nation” brand, with foreign investment in the entity’s tech industry collapsing precipitously. However, the fresh Intellexa revelations show certain elements of the sector remain in high demand, and pose an unseen threat to untold numbers of people globally. Should the firm fall into disrepute as a result, another surely waits in the wings to take its place.

(Global Delinquents)

From Orinoco Tribune – News and opinion pieces about Venezuela and beyond via This RSS Feed.

The Venezuelan government announced on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, that it will denounce before the UN the “grotesque threats” made by US President Donald Trump to impose a naval blockade to seize its natural resources. The US president made these statements via his social media accounts, demanding the return of Venezuelan assets.

In a statement, the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela specified that President Trump, in an act it describes as a violation of international law, free trade, and freedom of navigation, “assumes that Venezuela’s oil, land, and mineral wealth are his property,” demanding their immediate handover. The official statement labels this action an “absolutely irrational” attempt to impose a military and naval blockade to “steal the country’s wealth.”

RELATED:

Venezuela denounces US act of piracy against its maritime sovereignty at the United Nations

“Venezuela, in the full exercise of the International Law that protects us, our Constitution, and the laws of the Republic, reaffirms its sovereignty over all its natural resources, as well as the right to free navigation and free trade in the Caribbean Sea and the world’s oceans. Consequently, it will proceed, in strict adherence to the UN Charter, to fully exercise its freedom, jurisdiction, and sovereignty in the face of these warmongering threats,” states the text published by the Bolivarian Government.

The statement assures that the Venezuelan ambassador to the UN, Samuel Moncada, will immediately proceed to formalize the complaint for this “serious violation of International Law,” in strict adherence to the Charter of the United Nations.

The Venezuelan government called on the American people and the international community to reject this “extravagant threat that once again reveals Donald Trump’s true intentions to steal the riches of the country that gave birth to the United Liberation Army of South America and to our Liberator, Simón Bolívar.”

The statement quoted Trump verbatim, who expressed on social media: “until all the oil, land, and other assets that were previously stolen from us are returned to the United States.” In this regard, the Bolivarian government affirms that “his true intention, which has been denounced by Venezuela and the people of the United States in large demonstrations, has always been to appropriate the country’s oil, land, and minerals through massive campaigns of lies and manipulation.”

“Venezuela will never again be a colony of any empire or foreign power and will continue, together with its people, on the path of building prosperity and the unrestricted defense of our independence and sovereignty,” the statement concludes.

The text concludes by reaffirming the Venezuelan people’s stance in defending their historical rights and independence, quoting Simón Bolívar: “fortunately, a handful of free men have been seen to defeat powerful empires.”

From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.

The Brussels summit seeks political decision to secure Kiev’s funding for 2026-27.

On Thursday, leaders of the European Union began a summit in Brussels aimed at advancing the use of income generated by immobilized Russian assets.

RELATED:

Russia Backs Iran’s Efforts to Settle Crisis in Ties With IAEA

They opened the meeting shortly after 11:30 a.m. local time, about an hour and a half later than initially scheduled, after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa met with representatives of European farmers who were protesting in Brussels.

Upon arriving at the summit, European leaders underscored the importance of the meeting and the urgency of reaching a decision to ensure that the Ukrainian government can continue to finance itself as the war drags on.

The European Council president said the EU would take a “political decision” to ensure Ukraine’s “financial needs” for 2026 and 2027, allowing the country to “continue fighting toward a just and lasting peace.”

So, when you hear about the EU using "Russian frozen assets" for Ukraine

What does it actually mean?

It means stealing. Plain and simple. Stealing to flush one of the world's most glaringly corrupt, dysfunctional countries with more cash. pic.twitter.com/KQvirNoOeF

— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) December 12, 2025

French President Emmanuel Macron said he would seek “a calm negotiation” to try to persuade hesitant European counterparts of the merits of granting Ukraine a reparations loan backed by Russian sovereign assets frozen in the EU.

“We have secured the mobilization of these assets. That is a very good thing; it has already been done. Now we must secure financing through a loan. We will find the technical solution, and therefore we must not divide ourselves over technical modalities. Everyone needs to be respected,” he said in Brussels ahead of the European Council meeting.

Macron said he would pursue “a calm negotiation” with reluctant European counterparts, including Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, who views the initiative as highly risky from a legal and diplomatic standpoint. Belgium is home to Euroclear, the firm that holds most of the Russian assets frozen by the EU.

“The European Commission, in line with its role, has made several technical proposals. I want to say here that we must seek an agreement in a climate of calm and mutual respect. The good thing is that we all share the same objective. And that is the most important thing,” Macron said, adding that he was “confident in finding a solution.”

The so-called “Reparations Loan” referenced by Macron would provide 210 billion euros to Ukraine through the use of frozen Russian sovereign assets.

#FromTheSouth News Bits | Russia: An apartment building was damaged after a nighttime drone attack in the province of Tver, less than 200 kilometers northwest of Moscow. pic.twitter.com/CfTYyz5KSl

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 15, 2025

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.

In 2024, the market for this herbicide reached US$352 million in this country.

Experts urged Mexico to ban glyphosate herbicide after discovering flaws in an article that served as an excuse for the agribusiness sector for 25 years. The article lacks scientific rigor, which raises alarms about its safety for human health.

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Transnational corporations such as Bayer-Monsanto, Syngenta, and DuPont market glyphosate, which the World Health Organization (WHO) classified as a possible carcinogen in 2015. Used in Mexico since 1980, this herbicide is commonly applied to crops such as corn, citrus, sorghum, cotton, sugar cane, avocado, soybeans, and agave.

Producers use it for weed control to reduce costs, as well as for cleaning rural roads, which increases their economic dependence. Silvia Ribeiro, research coordinator for the Biodiversity Alliance, remarked that the most cited study was false and that Mexico should ban the herbicide immediately.

While researchers at the University of Guadalajara found toxic residues in water and people’s urine, more than a thousand scientific studies document kidney, liver, nervous system, and reproductive damage associated with glyphosate use.

In 2005, during the presidency of Vicente Fox, the Biosafety Law for Genetically Modified Organisms, known as the “Monsanto Law,” was passed, which favored genetically modified seeds for large corporations.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador attempted to gradually ban glyphosate through two presidential decrees, but failed due to pressure from the agribusiness sector and a lack of proven substitutes.

🚨Glyphosate “Safety” Study Ghostwritten by Monsanto Retracted After 25 Years of Deception

Millions of pounds of glyphosate were approved, defended & sprayed worldwide based on a paper now exposed as fundamentally compromised and scientifically invalid ⬇️

📌Monsanto employees… https://t.co/KxUbb5qZnI pic.twitter.com/ZTG6RFvPFY

— Nicolas Hulscher, MPH (@NicHulscher) December 4, 2025

In 2022, Senators Ana Lilia Rivera and Margarita Valdez proposed reforms to gradually ban pesticides. While Morena Party legislators Fernando Espino and Nancy Sanchez proposed extending the restriction for another three years.

However, the Supreme Justice Court has upheld the suspension of genetically modified corn crops, to which Bayer-Monsanto corporations sought to halt the presidential decree through legal injunctions.

The government of President Claudia Sheinbaum banned 35 pesticides in September, but it excluded glyphosate. The Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) indicated that this was the first of three phases, with further bans planned for 2026, though it avoided providing detailed information.

The Environment Secretariat informed that 86,449 tons of glyphosate were imported in 2019 by five companies that controlled 84% of the Mexican herbicide market and were consolidating their commercial dominance.

In 2024, the Mexican glyphosate market reached US$352 million. Peter Rosset, a former professor from El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, stated that banning the herbicide would be “an economic blow” and set an international example.

At her morning press conference, Mexican President #ClaudiaSheinbaum calls for reflection on the unity of popular movements in #LatinAmerica and cites #Mexico as an example, since its movement is committed to the people, delivers results, and thus gains popular support. pic.twitter.com/gy25fAqtkU

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 15, 2025

teleSUR: JP

Source: La Jornada

From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.

Mexico City, Mexico, December 17, 2025 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuela accused US President Donald Trump of threatening its sovereignty and violating international law, rejecting Washington’s efforts to seize its natural resources and impose a naval blockade.

“Donald Trump launched a reckless and grave threat against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, violating international law, free trade, and free navigation,” read the statement by the Venezuelan government in response to a social media post by the US president.

Trump threatened a “total and complete blockade of oil tankers” going in and out of Venezuela, claiming that the Caribbean country had “stolen land, oil and other assets” from the US. He did not add any explanation to his claims.

Caracas said in its statement Tuesday that it will denounce the United States at the United Nations (UN) after Trump’s de facto naval blockade and his attempt to claim ownership over Venezuela’s oil and mineral wealth.

The UN Charter expressly prohibits all Member States from using or threatening force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state. Blockades imposed without a declaration of war or that are not sanctioned by the UN Security Council are not considered legal.

Ryan Goodman, professor at NYU Law, affirmed that Trump’s actions were not only a violation of the UN Charter but actually constituted a “crime of aggression” against Venezuela.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump’s order for a complete blockade of sanctioned oil tankers, as well as last week’s seizure of a Cuba-bound tanker, had resulted in the disruption of Venezuela’s oil traffic, with several vessels reportedly idling in port or diverting away from the region.

Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA likewise reported a cyber attack on Monday. Nonetheless, PDVSA said in a statement that crude and refined product exports are continuing normally and that tankers are operating under full security and legal guarantees. Chevron’s activities allegedly have been unaffected, with the WSJ reporting that two vessels carrying US-bound crude for the US oil company departed from Lake Maracaibo.

Venezuela insisted that despite Trump’s “warmongering threats” it would continue to “exercise its freedom, jurisdiction, and sovereignty.”

In its statement, Caracas urged “the people of the United States and the peoples of the world” to reject Trump’s threat, framing the standoff as a global fight over international law, free navigation, and the plunder of sovereign resources rather than a narrow bilateral dispute.

Trump’s attempt to impose a naval blockade came amid the largest US military deployment in the region in decades. US assets include the Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, and US warplanes have repeatedly flown close to Venezuelan territory in recent weeks. The White House has declared that the military buildup aims to combat drug trafficking.

Speaking before a labor congress at Caracas’ Teresa Carreño Theater, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro called for an international protest by oil, gas, and merchant marine workers against what he described as US piracy.

Trump’s aggressive actions against Venezuela have prompted a large-scale mobilization of the country’s armed forces. In a statement to mark the 47th anniversary of the Venezuelan Integral Airspace Defense Command (CODAI), Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino reiterated the  commitment of the Armed Forces to defend the Caribbean nation’s airspace amid an escalating US military buildup and provocations.

The rhetoric has extended beyond state institutions, with the Fuerza Patriotica Alexis Vive issuing its own statement that cast Trump’s remarks as an act of “naked expression of an imperialist policy of war, plunder, and punishment.” The statement invoked Venezuela’s revolutionary tradition of popular resistance, and warned that any escalation would trigger consequences the US could not control.

“In the face of this imperialist offensive, the Venezuelan people respond with the war of all the people, not as an abstract slogan but as a concrete practice of defending life, territory, and sovereignty,” read the statement issued from the El Panal Commune in Caracas. “The war of all the people is organized communes, conscious neighborhoods, and territory in resistance. It is civic–military–police unity in the service of the working people.”

Trump’s announcement of a blockade of Venezuela also drew criticism from US lawmakers, with US Representative Joaquin Castro calling the order “unquestionably an act of war” and warning that it represents an unauthorized and dangerous escalation with potentially catastrophic consequences.

Representative Jim McGovern also labeled Trump’s threats as potential “acts of war.” Meanwhile, Representative Nydia Velazquez called on Congress to exercise its constitutional authority to prevent a unilateral military escalation.

“This is not about drugs or making America safer; it’s about regime change,” wrote Velazquez. “Americans do not want war with Venezuela. Congress must act now and stop this.” Recent polls have shown that a majority of the US public rejects military attacks against Venezuela.

The seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker had already drawn bipartisan backlash. Congress is expected to vote Wednesday on two War Powers resolutions, including one to block Trump’s military actions related to the blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers.

Edited by Ricardo Vaz in Caracas.

The post Venezuela Condemns Trump’s Blockade as Illegal, Popular Organizations Vow Resistance appeared first on Venezuelanalysis.

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On episode 99 of his “Con Maduro+” program, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro repudiated statements by far-right leader María Corina Machado claiming that 60% of the Venezuelan population is linked to drug trafficking.

“She said something very serious—I don’t know if the Public Prosecutor’s Office heard it. She said 60% of the Venezuelan population is involved in drug trafficking—that is, of every 10 Venezuelans, six are in drug trafficking,” Maduro said, referring to her as La Sayona. “The demon, the criminal… I usually don’t pay attention to anything she does because she is demented with hatred, but I can’t stay silent about this.”

President Maduro cited a Dataviva poll showing that 89% of Venezuelans reject Machado. “This criminal who calls the Venezuelan people ‘drug traffickers.’ This criminal who calls for an invasion and the killing of Venezuelans in an imperialist US invasion,” the visibly indignant president accused.

On Dec. 11, during a press conference in Oslo, Norway, after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Machado was asked by a journalist whether she would support a US military intervention in Venezuela. She responded that Venezuela was “already invaded” by “Russian agents, Iranian agents, terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as guerrilla groups and drug cartels.”

Machado added that “the drug cartels have taken over 60% of our population and are not only involved in drug trafficking but also in human trafficking and prostitution networks.”

According to Machado, Venezuela has become “the criminal hub of the Americas,” implying support for US military action—though she did not state it explicitly.

Her remarks sparked outrage on social media.

Many users described her comments as an attempt to dehumanize the Venezuelan people and justify military intervention—similar to the way Palestinians have been labeled “terrorists” for years by politicians and media to legitimize a massacre claiming more than 70,000 lives over the past two years. Another parallel is the more than 80 boatmen killed by the US government in the Caribbean Sea after being repeatedly branded “drug traffickers”—a narrative used to justify bombing them rather than detaining and inspecting them, as required by international law.

Regarding Machado’s remarks, social media user Alex Briones wrote: “Now it’s even harder for me to believe Machado won an election with the 60% of voters she claims to have, because now she’s asking the United States to bomb them all! Is this how she rewards her supporters?”

Another user, Jaime Mercant Simó, posted: “As the new Nobel Peace Prize laureate, María Corina is offering a supposed ‘authorized narrative’ to the US government so that, in the eyes of public opinion, this hegemon can soon use armed force against Venezuela and seize control of the nation and its precious resources.” Mercant Simó, an opponent of the Venezuelan government, nonetheless rejected Machado’s stance, urging the opposition to continue its struggle—but never, “under any circumstances, sell out their country to the United States and globalist interests.”

International Condemnation Against US Theft of Venezuelan Oil Tanker Grows

President Maduro: 96% of the Venezuelan people repudiate today’s privateersNinety-six percent of Venezuelan citizens—regardless of religion, ideology, political position, or economic or social status—condemn the act of piracy committed by the US government on Dec. 10 against a ship transporting Venezuelan oil, “which flagrantly violates international law and takes us back to the era of pirates and privateers,” said President Maduro, citing a Dataviva survey.

“Ninety-six percent of the Venezuelan people, whose blood runs with the spirit of liberty, repudiate today’s privateers,” he said, describing the seizure as “an act of piracy that violates international law and takes us back to the times of pirates and privateers.”

He recalled that in the 18th and 19th centuries, pirates were lawless bandits who plundered ships and coastal towns, while privateers were state-authorized raiders who carried “letters of marque” from empires like Spain or Britain to legally plunder enemy vessels.

“Today, in the 21st century, Venezuela is defending humanity’s right to prevent the return of a world ruled by pirates and privateers who for centuries plundered the peoples of the world,” he stated.

Maduro added that over the weekend, more than 300 street mobilizations took place across Venezuela in rejection of these “excessive actions.”

(Alba Ciudad)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/JB/SH

From Orinoco Tribune – News and opinion pieces about Venezuela and beyond via This RSS Feed.

The Brazilian Senate’s Constitution and Justice Committee approved a bill on Wednesday that could significantly reduce prison sentences for those involved in the 2022-2023 coup attempt, including former President Jair Bolsonaro.

The bill, which passed the committee with 48 votes in favor and 25 against after clearing the Chamber of Deputies last week, offers a direct benefit—effectively a virtual amnesty—to Bolsonaro and other coup plotters who sought to overturn the popular will and prevent the inauguration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

RELATED: Brazil’s Supreme Court Resumes Trial in 2022 Coup Conspiracy

Key Provisions of the Bill

The legislation aims to drastically shorten effective prison time for those convicted of crimes against the Democratic Rule of Law. Its main mechanisms include:

Reduced Sentences: Prison terms for participants who acted “in a crowd context” and are not considered leaders or financiers would be cut by one- to two-thirds.

Easier Access to Semi-Open Regime: The bill lowers the requirement to become eligible for a semi-open regime from serving 25% of a sentence to just 16%.

Non-Cumulative Sentences: In cases of simultaneous convictions for coup attempt and attempted abolition of the state, sentences would not be added together; only the most severe penalty would apply.

Direct Impact on Bolsonaro

Convicted to 27 years and three months for coordinating the attack on the constitutional order, Bolsonaro stands to gain the most. The new rules would extinguish his separate conviction for abolishing the democratic state, reducing his total sentence to just over two years.

Combined with the new 16% threshold, this could see him released from full imprisonment within two to three years, transferring to a regime where he would only sleep and spend weekends in jail—instead of remaining incarcerated until 2033 under current law.

The committee’s decision has been condemned by broad social, judicial, and progressive sectors as a “concealed amnesty” and a “political coup within the failed coup.”

Critics argue this represents a strategic victory for the far right, potentially reactivating Bolsonaro’s political career in the medium term.

Brazil’s Senate approves bill to reduce former president Jair Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison sentence to just over two years in prison, despite expected resistance from Supreme Court and President Lula da Silva pic.twitter.com/m7fMdE2exP

— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) December 18, 2025

From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.

Mexico urges U.N. intervention as Russia, Cuba and Germany voice concern over regional security.

Over the past 24 hours, several countries have spoken out in rejection of the escalation of U.S. military threats against Venezuela. Previously, on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a “total blockade” of oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.

RELATED:

Venezuelan Socialists Vow to Defend National Sovereignty

Washington’s decision shows that the true objective of the U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean is not the fight against international drug trafficking but the appropriation of Venezuela’s natural resources.

Mexico

On Wednesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged the United Nations to intervene to prevent an escalation of tensions between the United States and Venezuela.

“Beyond opinions about the government of Venezuela or the presidency of Nicolas Maduro, Mexico’s position must always be NO to intervention,” she said during her morning news conference.

“We call on the United Nations to assume its role to prevent any bloodshed and to always seek the peaceful resolution of conflicts,” Sheinbaum added.

She reiterated that Mexico’s foreign policy doctrine is based on the principles of nonintervention, noninterference in foreign affairs, self-determination of peoples, and the peaceful settlement of disputes.

BREAKING: 🚨 🇺🇸 🇻🇪 Trump orders a total blockade of ALL sanctioned OIL (which isn’t how you spell drugs..) tankers going into, and out of, Venezuela.

This is theft, piracy and terrorism. pic.twitter.com/YRF95G4rni

— ADAM (@AdameMedia) December 17, 2025

Russia

On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected belligerent statements by the United States regarding Venezuela and accused European leaders of “remaining silent” in the face of the announced U.S. “naval blockade” of the Latin American country.

“We are deeply concerned about the actions of the U.S. Navy. The generally belligerent statements of the Pentagon suggest that, in addition to the illegal actions of sinking civilian vessels without prior trial in the Caribbean, they are also planning a ground operation,” he said.

Washington’s actions in the Caribbean have been rejected “by virtually all countries, except the Europeans,” the Russian diplomat said, suggesting that European silence is linked to an interest in “persuading the Trump administration to follow the European path on the Ukrainian issue.”

Previously, both chambers of the Russian parliament had urged the international community to condemn what they described as U.S. “aggressive actions” toward Venezuela.

STATEMENT: We Reject Trump’s Naval Blockade on Venezuela –– It's An Act of War!

In his administration’s latest act of war, Donald Trump has ordered a naval blockade of Venezuela. Its stated goal is to cut off all oil revenue to force the illegal overthrow of an independent… pic.twitter.com/GkxEzBXevT

— Party for Socialism and Liberation (@pslnational) December 17, 2025

Cuba

On Tuesday, President Miguel Diaz-Canel rejected the U.S. naval blockade of oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela and said Cuba “firmly” supports Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The Cuban leader also backed a statement from the Venezuelan government describing the announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump as a “grotesque threat.”

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Washington’s move constitutes a “very serious violation of international law and an escalation of aggression against the Bolivarian government.”

Germany

On Wednesday, the Reuters news agency reported that Germany “has taken note” of Trump’s order to blockade sanctioned oil tankers and warned against “any steps that would jeopardize peace and security in the region,” according to a German Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

“The German government has an interest in preventing the situation in the region from deteriorating further. We are therefore viewing the overall situation with concern,” the spokesperson said.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responds to Tuesday's statements by United States President Donald Trump regarding Venezuela, reiterating Mexico's constitutional position of non-intervention, non-interference in foreign affairs, the self-determination of peoples, and the… pic.twitter.com/UCm1ATlc0z

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 17, 2025

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: EFE – Reuters

From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.

FM Wang reaffirmed Chinese support for Venezuelan sovereignty.

On Wednesday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a telephone conversation whereby they analyzed the geopolitical situation in Latin America and the Caribbean.

RELATED:

Countries Condemn U.S. Military Escalation Against Venezuela

The call came in response to a threat by U.S. President Donald Trump late Tuesday to impose a blockade on oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela. The following is the statement issued by the Venezuelan diplomat regarding his conversation with Wang:

“Today I held a telephone call with the foreign minister of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Yi, to whom I conveyed a message from the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, addressed to the president of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping.

During the conversation, we reaffirmed the brotherhood between our peoples and governments, as well as the nature of the All-Weather, All-Conditions Strategic Partnership that unites Venezuela and China, as a foundation for continuing to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

We conducted a joint assessment of the threats and aggressions against Venezuela and the risks looming over Latin America and the Caribbean.

In this context, China expressed its solidarity and firm support for Venezuela in the defense of its sovereignty, independence, and stability, as well as its support for regional unity and respect for international law.

Finally, we reaffirmed our shared willingness to continue deepening the bilateral relationship for the benefit of our peoples.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responds to Tuesday's statements by United States President Donald Trump regarding Venezuela, reiterating Mexico's constitutional position of non-intervention, non-interference in foreign affairs, the self-determination of peoples, and the… pic.twitter.com/UCm1ATlc0z

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 17, 2025

teleSUR/ JF

Source: VFAM

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