(MENAFN) Russia and China sharply criticized the escalating U.S. military presence in the southern Caribbean on Friday, cautioning that Washington’s actions near Venezuela pose a serious threat to peace and stability across the region.

During an emergency session of the UN Security Council, Russia’s envoy Vassily Nebenzia stressed, "Venezuela, a sovereign state which for several months now has been subjected to unprecedented pressure and threats of military invasion."

Highlighting the intensifying crisis, Nebenzia warned that "the situation is becoming more acute" daily, pointing out that "just a few kilometers off the coast of that country, large-scale US military activity is taking place that is a direct threat to regional and international peace and security," and noting that "the total number of the military contingent is more than 4,000 people."

Nebenzia questioned the true intent behind the U.S. buildup: "What is the preparation for an invasion?" He dismissed American allegations of a "mythical cartel de los soles" trafficking drugs to the United States as baseless. He clarified the cartel de los soles is "an informal Venezuelan terror group that is allegedly headed by high-ranking members of the country’s military."

Describing the U.S. narrative as fiction, Nebenzia said, "An excellent subject for a Hollywood blockbuster in which the Americans would once again save the world. But these assertions are not underpinned by facts at all."

He condemned U.S. attacks on civilian vessels, labeling them "gross violations of international law and human rights," and criticized them as aligned with "the infamous theory of American exceptionalism, under which the US can do whatever it wants, and other countries can only do what the US allows them to do."

Issuing a stern warning, Nebenzia urged Washington to "immediately end the escalation under these trumped-up pretexts and not carry out an irreparable mistake … that could lead to serious regional destabilization."

Echoing Russia’s stance, China’s UN representative Fu Cong condemned the U.S. for its "unilateral and excessive enforcement operations against other countries' vessels in so-called international waters" that "infringe on relevant personnel's right to life and other basic human rights."

The joint denunciations underscore growing geopolitical tensions as the U.S. military ramps up its presence near Venezuela amid ongoing accusations of drug trafficking and regional instability.

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