Cuba condemns U.S. naval blockade against Venezuela

HAVANA, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Cuban government has expressed strong opposition to the naval blockade imposed by the United States against Venezuela, local media reported on Tuesday.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on X that Cuba "firmly supports (Venezuelan) President Nicolas Maduro, the Bolivarian and Chavista Revolution, and its Popular-Military Union."

In a separate post on X, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla also voiced full support for the Venezuelan government, describing the naval blockade against Venezuela as "a gravely serious violation of international law and an escalation of aggression against the Bolivarian government."

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has ordered a total blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela, escalating a months-long pressure campaign against Maduro.

In response, the Venezuelan government said in a statement that Trump had issued what it called a "grave and reckless threat" against the country, claiming that it violated international law, free trade and freedom of navigation.

Trump claimed Venezuela's oil, land and mineral resources as U.S. property and demanded their immediate surrender, while seeking to impose a naval blockade aimed at "robbing the nation of its natural wealth," the statement added.

Venezuela reaffirmed its sovereignty over its natural resources and its right to free navigation and commerce in the Caribbean Sea and international waters, it said, adding that it would act in strict accordance with the UN Charter and international law.

In response to the threat, Venezuela's permanent representative to the United Nations would immediately file a formal complaint. ■