MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. Washington has deepened tensions with Caracas to a point where a military confrontation between the two countries is now nearly inevitable, Alexander Stepanov, military expert with the Institute of Law and National Security at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, told TASS.

"Washington is triggering irreversible destructive processes across Latin America. However, it fails to fully assess the complexity and high degree of uncertainty regarding the consequences for the domestic situation in the US itself, where the Latino population already exceeds 20% of the total. At the same time, Washington finds itself in a strategic dilemma. It has deployed a record military presence, made bold declarations from every platform, and now it must act, or it will be perceived as weak," he said.

Stepanov emphasized that strikes on Venezuela are most likely to be carried out remotely, with a ground operation being highly unlikely, while the full arsenal of the US Air Force and Navy will be utilized.

The expert believes the Western Hemisphere stands on the threshold of a complete transformation of its geopolitical landscape, which will lead to the establishment of comprehensive US military and corporate control.

Stepanov suggested that the conflict with Venezuela could mark the beginning of increased US military activity in Latin America, as further escalation and potential conflicts with Colombia and Mexico cannot be ruled out. "At the very least, [US President Donald] Trump’s expressions of such intentions have been repeatedly recorded," he noted.

The expert concluded that the trend toward systematically undermining international law and dismantling the UN-centric global order has reached its peak. In such a scenario, traditional mechanisms of collective decision-making are being replaced by the principle of "might makes right," with the hegemony imposing a hierarchical system of quasi-normative directives, forcing weaker states to submit to its authority.

Background on the US-Venezuela conflict

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly warned that his country faces the gravest threat of a US invasion in the past century, aimed at seizing the world's largest proven oil reserves. Washington has baselessly accused Venezuelan authorities of failing to act against drug smuggling. The US Navy has deployed a carrier strike group led by the USS Gerald R. Ford, a nuclear submarine, and more than 16,000 troops to the Caribbean Sea. Since September, US forces have destroyed at least 20 speedboats in the region, resulting in the deaths of over 80 individuals.