Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro told CNN from a Caracas rally that Americans should "unite for the peace of the Americas," denouncing "endless wars." His remarks come as the U.S. has deployed about 15,000 personnel and more than a dozen warships to the Caribbean and carried out at least 20 strikes that officials say killed 80 people. Caracas has mobilized its armed forces and civilian militias and installed anti-vehicle barriers near the capital; Maduro's claim of 8 million militia reservists has been questioned by experts.
Maduro Urges Americans to ‘Unite for the Peace of the Americas’ Amid U.S. Military Buildup
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro told CNN from a Caracas rally that Americans should "unite for the peace of the Americas," denouncing "endless wars." His remarks come as the U.S. has deployed about 15,000 personnel and more than a dozen warships to the Caribbean and carried out at least 20 strikes that officials say killed 80 people. Caracas has mobilized its armed forces and civilian militias and installed anti-vehicle barriers near the capital; Maduro's claim of 8 million militia reservists has been questioned by experts.
07:21 AM, 11/14/2025Conflict
Maduro appeals directly to Americans as tensions with Washington rise
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro told CNN correspondent Stefano Pozzebon from the middle of a mass rally in Caracas that "the people of the United States should unite with Venezuela for the peace of the Americas." His comments came as U.S. forces increased their presence in the Caribbean, raising tensions between the two countries.
Speaking in Spanish to Americans, Maduro urged an end to prolonged foreign conflicts: "To unite for the peace of (the Americas). No more endless wars. No more unjust wars. No more Libya. No more Afghanistan." When asked if he had a message for U.S. President Donald Trump, he replied in English: "Yes peace, yes peace."
Maduro did not directly say whether he feared imminent U.S. aggression; instead he emphasized his focus on governing Venezuela and pursuing peace. He made the remarks while addressing a rally for Venezuela’s youth and later urged them to resist what he characterized as a possible threat of invasion.
Over the past three months, the U.S. has concentrated roughly 15,000 personnel in the Caribbean and deployed more than a dozen warships, including an aircraft carrier official sources described as the Navy’s "most lethal combat platform." Observers have called this the largest U.S. military presence in the region since the 1989 invasion of Panama and say it has fueled speculation of a potential larger confrontation.
U.S. authorities say they have conducted at least 20 strikes against suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, operations they say have killed about 80 people. CNN has reported the Trump administration is considering plans to target cocaine production or trafficking routes inside Venezuela, while acknowledging to Congress that it currently lacks a clear legal justification for strikes on Venezuelan soil.
In response, Caracas has launched a large-scale mobilization of regular military forces and civilian militias and has staged training exercises across the country. Satellite imagery captured on November 10 and analyzed by Vantor shows "hedgehog" anti-vehicle barriers on the Caracas–La Guaira highway, a main coastal approach to the capital; those obstacles reportedly first appeared more than a month earlier.
Venezuela’s conventional armed forces, the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, number about 123,000 service members. President Maduro has claimed his volunteer militias include more than 8 million reservists, a figure and the groups’ level of training that outside experts have questioned.
Reporting contributions: CNN; satellite imagery analysis by Vantor.