Category World News

Prior to planned joint military exercises, the USS Gravely, a guided-missile destroyer, made its way to Trinidad on Sunday with US Marines on board.

The warship can operate helicopters and has modern weapons. Its most recent activities include deploying for anti-narcotics operations.

The US military presence in the Caribbean has increased in recent weeks as it continues to expand its military presence there, where it has launched controversial, deadly strikes against boats that Washington claims are involved in drug trafficking.

The Pentagon announced on Friday that it would send the USS Gerald R Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world, to the area, further escalating the conflict.

Nicolas Maduro, president of Venezuela, claimed Washington was “fabricating” a war against him after winning re-election last year in what the US has criticized as a fraudulent election.

The US president has claimed that Maduro is the leader of Tren de Aragua, an organized crime organization, without providing any proof.

Julia Galiano, a journalist for Al Jazeera, reported from Port of Spain on Sunday, saying the government of Trinidad wanted to reassure the country’s citizens that their arrival shouldn’t cause them any concern.

The US vessel’s presence was not a prelude to war, according to the nation’s defense minister, who spoke to Al Jazeera on Saturday. Joint military exercises were conducted frequently.

Galiano claimed, however, that the warship’s residents had “a lot more reservations.”

People we spoke to today, for instance, told us in the Sunday market that they were afraid of what this might mean for their nation, she said.

Similar concerns were expressed by Trinidadis who spoke to news organizations.

We as people who live on the margins of Venezuela and America could face a lash at any time, according to 64-year-old Daniel Holder, who spoke to the AFP news agency.

He continued, “I oppose having my country be a part of this.”

According to Javed Ali, an associate professor with a specialization in national security at the University of Michigan, “the use of a significant amount of military force” was a “significant amount of military force” was used to impose pressure on the Maduro regime, according to Al Jazeera on Sunday.

He continued, “It’s very hard to know what the White House is thinking,” noting that Venezuela’s lack of US military support prevented an invasion.

It wouldn’t have been with such a small footprint if the US had waged wars in the past, Ali said.

Washington’s largest military deployment in the area since its invasion of Panama in 1989 included eight navy ships, ten F-35 warplanes, and a nuclear-powered submarine as part of its anti-drug operations.

Lula described their countries’ negotiating teams as “immediately” working on tariffs and other issues after their Sunday meeting with Trump, who is an ally of his political rival, disgruntled former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.

In a message posted on X following the meeting, Lula stated that “we agreed that our teams will meet immediately to advance the search for solutions to the tariffs and sanctions against Brazilian authorities.”

Trump had compared Bolsonaro, a far-right leader who was serving a 27-year prison sentence for trying to impose a coup after losing the 2022 presidential election, to the July tariff increase, which increased duties on most Brazilian goods to 50% from 10%.

In the political heart of the nation’s capital, Bolsonaro’s supporters rioted, sparking a similar riot that Trump’s supporters had on January 6 in Washington, D.C.

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, a top court justice in Brazil, was one of the many Brazilian officials who oversaw the trial that resulted in Bolsonaro’s conviction.

Trump, however, said he could reach some agreements with Lula and anticipated strong ties between the two nations ahead of the meeting on Sunday despite his worries about Bolsonaro’s fate.

According to Trump, “I believe we should be able to negotiate some respectable terms for both countries.”

Lula previously described the US tariff increase as a “mistake” and cited Brazil’s $ 410 billion trade surplus over the course of 15 years.

“Conclude negotiations in weeks”

Although it was unclear whether the US had agreed, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira stated that negotiations would begin right away and that Brazil had requested a stop to the tariffs while discussions raged.

In the coming days, Vieira said, “We hope to wrap up bilateral negotiations that address each of the current American]tariffs on] Brazil.

Lula, who Caracas has criticized as “fabricated” pretexts for war, also offered to assist in mediating between the US and Venezuela, where Washington has deployed its largest warship and threatened ground strikes on alleged drug cartels.

Bolsonaro was not mentioned at the Trump-Lula meeting, according to Marcio Rosa, the foreign ministry’s executive secretary.