CARACAS, August 29. /TASS/. Venezuela is enhancing its defense capacity and national unity amid aggression, the country’s President Nicolas Maduro said.
"Today, after 20 days of continuous siege, we are stronger than yesterday; we have more support inside the country and across the world," he stated in an address to cadets during a special operations exercise.
According to Maduro, "the imperialist Gringos seek to seize the riches of Venezuela, turn it into a colony and tear it apart, but they will never be able to do that."
Maduro urged the country’s people to actively participate in the second round of mobilization of army reservists and militia members, which is taking place on August 29-30.
Meanwhile, Maduro has called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to contribute to ending the US government’s hostile actions against Venezuela and ensuring the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Reuters reported on August 19, citing Pentagon sources, that three US missile destroyers (USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson) had been deployed near Venezuela as part of an effort to address threats from Latin American drug cartels. Other reports mentioned the deployment of the USS Newport News submarine, the USS Lake Erie missile cruiser, landing ships and 4,500 troops. According to the New York Times, US President Donald Trump has secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against certain Latin American drug cartels.
Washington claims that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is part of the Cartel de los Soles (or the Cartel of the Suns), whose existence Caracas denies.