Venezuela Seeks UN Support Over 'Continued Threats' From Deployment Of U.S. Troops, Says It Jeopardizes 'Peace And Security' In The Region

Venezuela's authoritarian government sent a letter to the UN asking for its support over what it described as "continued threats" from the United States, which include the deployment of military assets off its coast.

Concretely, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil gave the letter to Gianluca Rampolla, UN official in the South American country. It claims that the country "strongly denounces the deployment, which is a grave threat to peace and security in the region."

"The presence of an offensive submarine in Latin America and the Caribbean contradicts our nations' historic commitment to disarming and the peaceful resolution of disputes, and represents a clear act of intimidation that is against the letter and spirit of the UN Charter," the letter adds.

The document goes on to claim that the use of a nuclear submarine, which has no transparency regarding its load or rules of use, undermines the purpose of the charter and erodes the collective trust in the regime of regional denuclearization."

The document ends with three requests: the end of the U.S. deployment, "clear and verifiable guarantees from the U.S. that it won't deploy nor threat to use nuclear weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean," and a conference attended by countries from the region regarding the most recent actions.

In this context, authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro has also issued a call to all militia members in the country. The army signed up volunteers over the weekend, seeking to bolster its ranks.