Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused the United States of seeking to impose a “puppet government” in Caracas as part of a broader strategy to seize the country’s vast natural resources and undermine its sovereignty.

Speaking on Wednesday during a ceremony commemorating the death of South American liberator Simón Bolívar, Maduro condemned recent US threats and actions as “belligerent and colonial,” warning that Washington aims to reduce Venezuela to a dependent outpost.

“They are seeking regime change to impose a puppet government in Venezuela, to hand over our constitution and our sovereignty and turn the country into a colony,” Maduro said. He stressed that Venezuela would not submit to foreign domination, declaring that “Bolivarian Venezuela is a free and independent republic, capable of defending its sovereignty under any circumstances.”

Maduro also denounced recent steps taken by US President Donald Trump, including the designation of the Venezuelan government as a foreign terrorist organization and the announcement of a “total and complete” blockade on sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuelan ports. He described US claims over Venezuelan land and resources as an unprecedented act of aggression.

“The threats from the United States government and their statement that all our resources and lands also belong to them is simply a belligerent and colonial claim,” he said.

The Venezuelan leader further called for unity with neighboring Colombia, emphasizing regional cooperation as a safeguard against external interference. “The greatest guarantee of peace and stability is unity,” Maduro said.

The Venezuelan government has also escalated the issue to the international stage. On Wednesday, Venezuela’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, submitted a formal letter to the UN Security Council rejecting US claims to Venezuelan oil and national assets as “delusional” and dangerous.

“In the history of Venezuela, never before had a head of state and/or government of a foreign power come up with the deranged idea that the Venezuelan national territory, including its oil fields and other assets, belonged to them,” Moncada wrote.

He warned that Washington’s demands form part of a growing “delirium” that threatens military aggression if Venezuela refuses to comply. Moncada also accused the United States of being driven by an unrestrained appetite for Venezuelan oil, saying Washington’s “addiction” to energy resources “knows no bounds.”

In his letter, Moncada called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to address what he described as ongoing US aggression against Venezuela. He invoked Article 39 of the UN Charter, urging the Council to take immediate steps to restore international legality and prevent further escalation.

Caracas has repeatedly accused Washington of waging economic warfare and political pressure against the country in an attempt to force regime change, while reaffirming its commitment to defending national sovereignty and independence in the face of external threats. (ILKHA)