Caracas has appealed to the UN following Washingtons deployment of warships and a submarine to the Caribbean

Venezuela on Monday accused the US of violating a regional nuclear ban, and urged the United Nations to act after American warships and a naval submarine were deployed to the Caribbean.

The move comes after Washington last week sent three warships and 4,000 Marines toward Venezuela in what the White House described as part of a broader campaign against drug trafficking groups in Latin America. According to media reports, US President Donald Trump has since deployed two additional vessels: the guided-missile cruiser USS Erie and the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Newport News, expected to arrive next week.

In response, Venezuela has deployed warships and drones to patrol its coastline.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto said he has written to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, urging him "to restore common sense" and denouncing what he called the placement of US troops and nuclear weapons in the Caribbean basin.

He said the deployments breached the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which prohibits nuclear arms in Latin America and the Caribbean. Gil dismissed Washington's justification that the buildup was aimed at combating narcotics, stressing that Venezuela is a "territory free of illicit crops."

On Tuesday, Gil met with UN Resident Coordinator in Venezuela Gianluca Rampolla, and voiced his concern over the recent US military presence in the Caribbean, including the submarine deployment.

"We discussed the threats from the United States facing the region, which was declared a Zone of Peace in 2014 by CELAC, a recognition ratified by the United Nations," he said in a Telegram post.

The Venezuelan government has branded the US deployments "hostile" and destabilizing, underscoring already strained ties between Caracas and Washington.

Last month, Washington designated Venezuela-based Cartel de los Soles a criminal organization, alleging it is led by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and senior officials.

Maduro, who was indicted on US drug charges in 2020, has rejected the claims as politically motivated. Bolivian President Luis Arce last week accused Washington of using the war on drugs as a pretext for regional domination, and denounced the Caribbean buildup as an attempt to assert control over Latin America.

(RT.com)