Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro rejected on Friday (December 26) what he characterized as attempts to impose a "model of colonial and slave domination" on his country by the United States, Reuters reports.
Flanked by key cabinet members, Maduro told the Council of Sectoral Vice Presidents that U.S. efforts to "steal" Venezuela's natural resources would fail, and accused Washington of fabricating a "virtual reality" to justify intervention.
The remarks come as tensions between the two nations intensify.
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a blockade targeting sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
The Trump administration has deployed thousands of troops to the Caribbean alongside an aircraft carrier, warships, and fighter jets, while conducting strikes against suspected drug trafficking vessels in the region.
