(MENAFN- Live Mint) Venezuela's Maduro warned US President Donald Trump to avoid escalating tensions in the Caribbean, pleading in English,“No crazy war, please please please,” after Washington ordered its most advanced aircraft carrier to the region. The deployment marks a major escalation in the Trump administration's expanding military campaign against drug cartels in Latin America.

'Not war, not war, not war, peace forever', the Venezuelan president was seen saying in an official video.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier, which can carry up to 90 aircraft, to move from the Mediterranean on Friday.

Also Read | 'No crazy war, please': Maduro urges Trump as US flies bombers near Venezuela US Sends Aircraft Carrier to Caribbean Border

The Pentagon confirmed that the USS Gerald R. Ford-a nuclear-powered supercarrier capable of carrying up to 90 aircraft-has been redirected from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean Sea. The move, authorised by US defence secretary Pete Hegseth, brings with it a formidable strike group of destroyers, assault ships and refuelling tankers.

The US says the expanded naval presence is aimed at“disrupting illicit actors” and cracking down on drug traffickers, but the scale of the deployment has prompted speculation that Washington is preparing for broader military action.

Also Read | US Strikes 'Drug Boat' Off Colombia, Calls It Part Of War On Venezuela

“The enhanced presence will bolster US capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the western hemisphere,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said.

Officials familiar with the operation told reporters that the deployment could enable the US to hit land-based targets in Venezuela, with F-35 stealth fighters and drones capable of striking air-defence systems and other installations.

Venezuela's Maduro says US 'fabricating war'

Maduro has accused Washington of“fabricating a war”, saying the US is using the language of counter-narcotics operations to justify an attempted regime change.

“They are fabricating a new eternal war,” he told Venezuelan state media.“They promised they would never again get involved in a war, and they are fabricating a war.”

Also Read | Who was José Gregorio Hernández? Venezuela's 'Doctor of the Poor' now a saint

In an official video message, Maduro appeared visibly agitated as he switched to English:“Not war, not war, not war, peace forever.”

The Venezuelan leader, a longtime adversary of Trump, denies accusations that he oversees a drug-trafficking network, calling them politically motivated. His government has described the US naval build-up as“an act of intimidation” and a violation of international law.

What is Trump's endgame in Venezuela?

For two months, the US has been quietly amassing one of its largest military forces in the Caribbean in decades. Warships, F-35 fighter jets, B-52 bombers, marines, drones and surveillance planes have been deployed in what the White House insists is a mission to stop narcotics reaching American shores.

Yet few analysts are convinced.

Also Read | Trump brands Venezuela's Maduro 'illegitimate', threatens fresh action

“This is about regime change. They're probably not going to invade – the hope is this is about signalling,” said Dr Christopher Sabatini to BBC, a senior fellow for Latin America at Chatham House.“The intention is to strike fear in the hearts of the Venezuelan military and Maduro's inner circle so that they move against him.”

The BBC reports that as of 23 October, ten US naval vessels, including guided-missile destroyers and amphibious assault ships, are operating in the Caribbean.

Trump goes bullish in war on Latin America

At a press conference on Thursday, Trump appeared to confirm that his campaign against drug traffickers is entering a more aggressive phase.“The land is going to be next,” he told reporters.“The land drugs are much more dangerous for them. It's going to be much more dangerous. You'll be seeing that soon.”

Pressed on whether he was preparing for a full-scale war against Latin American cartels, Trump was characteristically blunt:“I think we're just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country, OK? We're going to kill them, you know they're going to be, like, dead.”

Also Read | Trump says US strike on drug-trafficking vessel near Venezuela killed six

The remarks stunned regional observers and reignited concerns about the legality and proportionality of the strikes, which Washington says have already killed dozens of alleged smugglers aboard small vessels. No evidence or details about the targets have been released.

Regional fears of escalation

Governments across Latin America have voiced alarm at the spiralling military presence near Venezuela's shores, warning it could inflame already volatile tensions. Human rights groups have urged restraint, saying the campaign risks plunging the region into a new cycle of conflict.

With the USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group edging closer to Venezuelan waters, Maduro's plea-“No crazy war, please please please”-now hangs over a Caribbean on edge, as Washington flexes its power and the region braces for what may come next.

MENAFN24102025007365015876ID1110245383