The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting to address the seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers by the United States. During the session, Venezuela and the U.S. presented differing accounts and accusations regarding the ongoing situation.
Venezuela's Ambassador to the UN, Samuel Moncada, characterized the U.S. seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers as actions constituting "extortion" and "worse than piracy." He stated that Venezuela perceives these actions as "pillaging, looting and recolonisation," asserting that the U.S. operates outside international law and lacks jurisdiction in the Caribbean. Moncada also questioned the connection between the U.S. focus on Venezuela's oil industry and its stated anti-drug operations.
In response, U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Michael Waltz, reiterated that the U.S. does not recognize Nicolas Maduro as the legitimate leader of Venezuela. Waltz stated that Maduro's ability to sell Venezuela's oil supports what he termed "fraudulent claims to power" and "narco-terrorist activities."
The U.S. government has stated its intention to keep or sell the crude oil and vessels it has seized. These actions follow a directive issued by President Trump on December 16, which ordered a naval blockade of sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.
This naval deployment, described as the largest to the region since 1989, involves 15,000 U.S. troops, aircraft carriers, guided-missile destroyers, and amphibious assault ships in the Caribbean. The stated objective of this deployment is to disrupt the flow of fentanyl and cocaine into the U.S. In recent months, U.S. operations targeting vessels in the Pacific and Caribbean have resulted in at least 90 fatalities across more than 20 incidents, as part of a campaign against groups the U.S. accuses of drug trafficking. Some experts have indicated that these strikes could be subject to scrutiny under laws governing armed conflict.
President Maduro, during a visit to a Caracas trade fair, claimed that the Security Council was providing "overwhelming support to Venezuela."
Russia and China expressed criticism of the U.S. actions. Russia's Ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, accused the U.S. of "illegally destroying" civilian vessels in the Caribbean Sea. He also suggested that these actions could serve as "a template for future acts of force against Latin American states." China's envoy to the UN, Sun Lei, called upon the U.S. to "immediately halt relevant actions and avoid further escalation of tensions."