Venezuela denounces a warning from US President Donald Trump to consider its airspace closed, calling it a colonialist threat amid rising regional tensions

Amid Trump’s warning to close Venezuela’s airspace, Caracas faces overwhelming odds against the US superpower. Ranked 50th globally, Venezuela relies on guerrilla tactics, militias, and missile systems to resist,

The Venezuelan foreign ministry called the latest remarks from Donald Trump a "new extravagant, illegal, and unjustified aggression against the people of Venezuela".

Venezuelan opposition groups, NGOs, Washington and some Latin American governments have accused Maduro and the Venezuelan military of ties to drug trafficking groups, who are also accused of violence. The government has consistently denied such links and says the U.S. is seeking regime change to take control of Venezuela's vast oil reserves.

Venezuela is entering one of its most repressive periods in years, rights monitors say, as President Nicolás Maduro faces mounting isolation and an expanding US military presence in the Caribbean.

Both Russia and China face challenges that temper their interest in Venezuela’s security concerns. For Moscow, it’s the cost of its grinding war with Ukraine and for Beijing it’s a weak economy that limits its generosity. The U.S.-led financial sanctions on Caracas add to the complications of dealing with the country.