Venezuela's VP Claims U.S. Has Declared 'War on the Entire Planet' Amid Caribbean Military Buildup

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said that the United States has "declared war on the entire planet," a reference to the U.S.'s military deployment in the Caribbean that Washington describes as part of its anti-narcotics operations.

"There is an international context where the United States decided to declare war, not on Venezuela, but on the entire planet ... and Venezuela must be prepared," she said during the formation of grassroots government committees broadcast on state television.

Rodríguez accused domestic opponents of seeking to give away Venezuela's natural resources to the U.S. and urged supporters to prepare for both "non-armed struggle" and, if necessary, "armed struggle," as local Efecto Cocuyo reports.

Her comments came one day after Nicolás Maduro ordered the creation of new "integral defense commands" combining civilians, military personnel, and public employees to respond to what he called the threat posed by increased U.S. military activity near Venezuela's coast.

The Venezuelan regime announced an expanded deployment that includes land, air, naval, and riverine assets, as well as additional weapons systems. Since August, U.S. forces have operated in the Caribbean as part of what Washington calls counter-narcotics missions. Maduro contends the deployment is intended to trigger regime change.

According to the U.S. Navy, the USS Gerald R. Ford — the Pentagon's largest aircraft carrier — and its strike group arrived in the region this week.

Earlier Wednesday, Rodríguez also addressed Venezuela's economic outlook, calling the country's performance "imperturbable" despite what she described as a months-long "psychological battle" imposed by the U.S, as NTN24 reports.

"An economy that has nine warships in front of it, with permanent threats, has shown that Venezuela does not fear," she told business leaders at a retail industry event. She claimed Venezuela has "defeated" U.S. pressure in the economic sector, even as the bolívar continues to weaken.

Rodríguez cited projections from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), saying Venezuela is on track to lead regional economic growth and that GDP rose "8.71%" in the last quarter, figures that have not been independently verified.

Her remarks follow other public statements in recent weeks rejecting reports about alleged back-channel offers to the Trump administration. In mid-October, she dismissed a Miami Herald story suggesting she and her brother, another high-ranking official had proposed removing Maduro as part of a negotiated transition, describing the report as psychological warfare, asserting that the government and military remain "united around President Maduro."