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Venezuela Suspends Gas Deal with Trinidad & Tobago Amid US Military Presence

CARACAS – Venezuela has abruptly suspended a major gas deal with Trinidad and Tobago, citing the island nation’s hosting of a United States warship as a “provocation” and a sign of escalating U.S. aggression in the region. President Nicolas Maduro accused Trinidad and Tobago of becoming an “aircraft carrier of the American empire” and alleged that the increased U.S. military presence in the Caribbean is part of a plot to steal Venezuela’s oil and gas wealth.

The move follows the arrival of the USS Gravely, a U.S. guided-missile destroyer, in Port of Spain for planned joint military exercises. Venezuelan officials have long accused the Trump administration of seeking regime change, and Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto recently condemned the US actions, calling them an “illegal and completely immoral military threat.”

While Maduro claims Trinidad and Tobago was already facing a gas shortage before the deal, Trinidadian Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar downplayed the significance of the suspended agreement, stating that her country’s future “does not depend on Venezuela and never has.” She added that her government has been moving away from reliance on the joint Dragon gasfield, a project mired in delays and complicated by U.S. sanctions against Venezuela. Persad-Bissessar also defended her support for the U.S. anti-drug campaign in the region.

The Trump administration has significantly increased its military presence in the Caribbean, deploying multiple warships, a submarine, drones, and fighter jets, ostensibly to combat drug trafficking. However, Venezuela argues that these actions are a pretext for seizing its natural resources and potentially ousting Maduro’s government. Critics have also condemned the US anti-drug actions.

Despite the friction, the U.S. has signaled support for the Dragon gas project, albeit with safeguards to prevent the Maduro government from significantly benefiting. The long-delayed Dragon gasfield, operated by Shell and Trinidad’s National Gas Company, holds significant reserves. The suspension of the gas deal highlights the growing tensions in the region, fueled by geopolitical competition and Venezuela’s ongoing economic and political crisis. The environmental cost of the fossil fuel extraction is also a factor.

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