Newsday | Monday, October 27, 2025 
Venezuela: Trinidad and Tobago helping US start a war — Warship worries

HOURS after US naval warship USS Gravely docked at the Port of Spain port, the Venezuelan government released a statement denouncing what it describes as “military provocation” by TT, which it believes is intended to start a war. In the statement issued on October 26, Venezuela said the joint TT-US military exercise scheduled for October 26 to 30, was a “hostile provocation” and a “serious threat to the peace of the Caribbean.” Venezuela further claimed that the arrival of the USS Gravely in Trinidadian waters is part of a larger military operation designed to spark a conflict in the region. Members of the 22nd US Marine Expeditionary Unit and approximately sixty members of the TT Defence Force including infantry officers, medics, troops from the Engineer Battalion (Cumuto Barracks), signallers and Special Forces troops will engage in the exercise. The boat’s arrival comes amid heightened tensions between Venezuela and the US. So far, the US has claimed that its military has attacked and destroyed 11 vessels in regional waters, killing 49 alleged drug traffickers in the process. US President Donald Trump has also openly agitated for regime change in Venezuela accusing president Nicolas Maduro of leading a drug cartel and insisting he should step down. Venezuela claimed, in its statement, to have captured a group of mercenaries with direct links to…Read more