This combination of pictures created on August 07, 2025 shows US President Donald Trump (L) in Grand Rapids, Michigan on November 5, 2024, and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (R) in Caracas on July 31, 2024. Photo: VCG

Situation surrounding Venezuela has escalated to a point that it appears a military action is about to be taken by the US. Venezuela denounced and condemned the US' "colonialist threat" that seeks to affect the sovereignty of its airspace after US President's assertion that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela be considered closed on his social media account, according to a statement issued by the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday, in a Truth Social post said: To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider "the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela to be closed in its entirety." The sentence is written in capitalized letter. 

In a statement on Saturday afternoon, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said US President's statement earlier in the day amounts to a "colonialist threat," according to the statement.

"Venezuela denounces and condemns the colonialist threat that seeks to affect the sovereignty of its airspace, constituting yet another extravagant, illegal and unjustified aggression against the Venezuelan people," the ministry said.

In the statement on Saturday, Venezuela's foreign ministry said that the US had "unilaterally suspended" the regular weekly migrant repatriation flights.

"We call directly on the international community, the sovereign governments of the world, the UN, and the relevant multilateral organizations to firmly reject this immoral act of aggression," it said.

Meanwhile, Venezuela's military conducted exercises along coastal areas on Saturday, with state TV showing anti-aircraft weapons and other artillery being maneuvered, per BBC.

Currently, the conflict between the two sides has escalated to a point where tensions are running high, Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Sunday. From the earlier actions taken by the US, it can be observed that the US is likely poised and ready to take military action, Li warned.

There is no doubt that such actions by the US, if taken, will have a significant impact on the situation in Latin America. In the coming period, the region is likely to experience a wave of relatively high-intensity turbulence. The US demonstration of military force - and even the potential for armed action -against Venezuela has already caused widespread concern in the region, and further crises and instability may be difficult to avoid, Li added.

Since early September, the US has killed more than 80 people in attacks on around 20 speedboats with suspected drug smugglers on board - mostly from Venezuela - in the southern Caribbean, according to DW.  

International airlines last week began to cancel flights to Venezuela after the US Federal Aviation Administration told pilots to be cautious flying around the country because of heightened military activity, The Washington Post said.

The US has deployed the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, and about 15,000 troops to within striking distance of Venezuela, according to BBC.

On Friday, The New York Times reported that President Trump had spoken by phone last week with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The phone call, which included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, came days before the State Department officially designated Maduro as the leader of what the administration considers a drug cartel that is also a foreign terrorist organization, the Cartel de los Soles.

Within the US, there is opposition against the potential military action. "President Trump's reckless actions towards Venezuela are pushing America closer and closer to another costly foreign war," top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer posted on X on Sunday.

In response to an inquiry regarding Venezuela's Foreign Ministry's rejection of what it called a "ridiculous" US plan to designate the "nonexistent" Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization and the US imposition of sanctions on "members of the organization" - including Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and other senior officials, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday that China consistently opposes unilateral sanctions that lack a basis in international law and have not been authorized by the UN Security Council, and opposes external forces interfering in Venezuela's internal affairs under any pretext.