Venezuela’s allies condemn Trump administration’s oil tanker seizure: ‘They are thieves’

Venezuela’s regional allies have publicly backed the government, condemning the Trump administration’s seizure of an oil tanker last week.

The incident involved the Skipper tanker, which was intercepted off Venezuela’s coast last Wednesday, marking the first time the U.S. has captured Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019.

Support for President Nicolas Maduro was voiced during a televised virtual meeting of the leftist ALBA bloc, comprising Caribbean and Latin American nations. This show of solidarity comes amidst an escalating U.S. military buildup in the southern Caribbean.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel underscored the gravity of the situation during the summit, stating: “Latin America and the Caribbean today face threats that don't have precedent in the last decades.”

Referring to the U.S. seizure of the tanker, Nicaragua's co-President Daniel Ortega exclaimed, "they are thieves."

The effects of the seizure could ripple through the region, with Venezuelan oil exports falling sharply and Cuba, already straining to power its grid, at risk of losing supply.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration does not recognize Maduro, in power since 2013, as Venezuela's legitimate leader. The region has become increasingly tense as the U.S. has issued deadly strikes against suspected drug trafficking boats off the Venezuelan coast and in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Maduro has said that Trump is seeking to oust him.

At the summit, Maduro called for the ALBA bloc to resist what he described as unlawful interference in the region.

"The colonizer project will not occur," he said. "We will be free."