Maduro seeks military help from Colombia as US–Venezuela standoff reaches boiling point
Venezuela’s president urges regional unity to deter what he calls foreign intervention, as Washington sharpens its rhetoric and threatens new designations.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro issued an urgent appeal on Wednesday to Colombia’s political leaders, social movements, and armed forces, calling for military solidarity as tensions with the United States escalated sharply.
Speaking to supporters, Maduro said regional “union” was the strongest safeguard for peace and sovereignty, urging Colombia’s military to align with Venezuela to deter outside intervention.
“I call upon them for a perfect union with Venezuela so that no one dares touch the sovereignty of our countries,” he said.
“Trump wants a puppet government”
The appeal follows a series of confrontational statements from Washington.
Maduro accused US President Donald Trump of harboring “colonialist” ambitions after Trump claimed Venezuela had stolen American “oil, land, and other assets.”
Maduro rejected the accusations as a pretext for regime change, warning that any attempt to impose a new government would fail quickly.
“The aim is to impose a puppet government that would not last even days and would hand over our Constitution and wealth,” Maduro said, adding that Venezuela would resist any such move.
The standoff intensified on Tuesday when Trump threatened to designate the Maduro government as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump also highlighted what he described as a growing US naval presence near Venezuela, vowing to increase pressure until Caracas meets US demands.
Relations between Caracas and Washington have deteriorated steadily in recent months, marked by sanctions, maritime seizures, and escalating rhetoric.
Maduro’s appeal to Colombia signals an effort to rally regional allies as diplomatic and military tensions continue to mount.