PM Of Country Neighboring Venezuela Denies U.S. Sought To Use It As a Base: 'Our Territory Will Not Be Used to Launch Attacks'

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar denied that the United States had asked to use her country as a staging ground for military action against Venezuela, rejecting speculation fueled by ongoing U.S. Marine exercises in the archipelago.

"The United States NEVER asked to use our territory to launch attacks against the people of Venezuela," Persad Bissessar said. "The territory of Trinidad and Tobago will NOT be used to launch attacks against the people of Venezuela."

She added that Trinidad and Tobago "will not participate in any act that could harm the Venezuelan people" and that her government "continues to maintain peaceful relations" with its neighbor, as NTN24 reports.

The comments come amid heightened tension as U.S. forces increase their presence in the Caribbean. Since August, the Trump administration has maintained several warships in the region, officially to disrupt drug trafficking. U.S. Marines are currently conducting joint training in Trinidad and Tobago, their second round of exercises there in less than a month.

U.S. forces have increased their regional footprint in recent weeks, deploying the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, alongside Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. Washington describes the buildup as part of a regional counternarcotics mission. Venezuela has responded by mobilizing troops, weapons, and equipment.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has described the U.S. military deployment as a "threat" and labeled the joint drills in Trinidad and Tobago "irresponsible." He accused Persad-Bissessar of "mortgaging" her country to "place military force in front of Venezuela," warning that the move "will not end well."

Persad-Bissessar pushed back, saying that dialogue—not confrontation—should guide regional policy. She expressed support for potential discussions between President Donald Trump and Maduro, adding that "the best way to resolve problems is through dialogue." Trinidad's leader also cited concerns about narcotrafficking, human trafficking, the absence of free elections in Venezuela, gang-related violence, and a humanitarian crisis that has pushed millions to flee.

The tensions follow a deeper bilateral rupture. In late October, Maduro suspended a major natural gas agreement with Trinidad and Tobago after the guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely arrived for joint exercises. He accused Persad-Bissessar of turning her country "into an aircraft carrier of the American empire," a charge she rejected. "Our future does not depend on Venezuela and never has," she said.

Persad-Bissessar, who took office in May and has been openly critical of Maduro, has also linked Venezuelan migration to rising crime in the archipelago.