Padrino López: The theft of the oil tanker is a flagrant violation of international law

Published at: 12/12/2025 03:40 PM

The defense minister, G/J Vladimir Padrino López, described as a flagrant violation of international law, the United Nations charter, of free trade and free navigation, the capture and theft in the Caribbean Sea, by United States soldiers, of an oil tanker carrying Venezuelan crude oil.

“It's a gross, rude act of cowardly thievism, to appropriate resources that don't belong to him,” he said, while raising his voice to demand that life be respected and the whereabouts of the crew members of the said vessel be announced.

In the same way, the senior military official denounced that imperialism, as part of its new defense doctrine, is carrying out a “strategic retreat” to concentrate its security efforts in Latin America to the detriment of the sovereignty of States and the democracy of countries.

“It is intended to close the Caribbean to the interests of the United States, it is intended to steal the natural resources of the hemisphere and especially of South America. The FANB is taking this into account because we are going to defend the concept of sovereignty. The United States must know that we are not going to give up,” he emphasized during the anniversary celebration of the Integral Air Special Defense Command.

In the same way, he reiterated that Venezuela is sovereign, free and therefore decides who it relates to in this new world that is emerging.

Mazo News Team