Differences with U.S. do not justify military conflict: Venezuela’s Maduro

Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a press conference in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro said Friday that differences with the United States did not justify a military conflict, urging dialogue after counterpart U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to shoot down Venezuelan jets that threaten U.S. forces.

“None of the differences we have and have had can lead to a military conflict,” Maduro said in a message broadcast on all the country’s radio and television networks.

“It has no justification,” the president added as he denied Trump’s claims that Venezuela, and he himself, form the nexus of a vast drug trafficking network.

Washington recently upped a bounty to US$50 million for Maduro’s capture on drug charges, claiming he leads a narco-terrorist cartel.

It has deployed several warships to the southern Caribbean in what was labeled an anti-drug operation, and on Friday Trump threatened to shoot down Venezuelan jets if they pose a danger to U.S. forces.

This came after the Pentagon said two Venezuelan military planes flew near a U.S. Navy vessel in international waters Thursday in a “highly provocative” move.

The United States is now also deploying F-35 warplanes to Puerto Rico as part of its war on cartels.

“Those intelligence reports they give him (Trump) are not true. Venezuela today is a country free from coca leaf production, cocaine, and is a country that fights against drug trafficking,” Maduro said.

“Venezuela has always been willing to talk, to engage in dialogue, but we demand respect,” he added.