The Venezuelan president, whose last two re-election bids in 2024 and 2018 were not recognized by the United States or much of the international community, has been accused by the US of leading a drug cartel. Washington has doubled the bounty for Maduro's capture to $50 million but has made no public threat to invade Venezuela.

Nicolás Maduro denunció que ocho barcos militares desplegados por Estados Unidos con 1.200 misiles y un submarino "apuntan" a Venezuela.

The US says it aims to counter Latin American drug cartels, but Venezuela’s president condemns American naval presence as an ‘extravagant’ threat.