STORY: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro spoke at a public event in Caracas on Tuesday (December 16) and urged peace while accusing the United States of trying to seize Venezuela's natural resources.

Maduro said oil workers should organize an international, sustained protest to defend free trade for Venezuelan oil, and he rejected U.S. allegations of drug trafficking as "fake news." "Imperialism and the fascist right want to colonize Venezuela to take over its wealth of oil, gas, gold, among other minerals. We have sworn absolutely to defend our homeland and in Venezuela peace will triumph," he added.

Later on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered what he described as a "total and complete blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers going into and out of Venezuela, according to a post he made on Truth Social.

Trump's post came a week after the U.S. seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, the latest step in a pressure campaign on the government of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who Trump has blamed for drugs entering the U.S.

Trump's campaign has included a ramped-up military presence in the region and more than two dozen military strikes on vessels in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea near Venezuela, which have killed at least 90 people.

Trump has also said that U.S. land strikes on the South American country will soon start.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT NICOLAS MADURO ATTENDING PUBLIC EVENT / SOUNDBITES FROM MADURO

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE STORY.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: Music not cleared for use, please check with the applicable collecting society or relevant rights holders in your territory regarding clearance of any sound recordings.

SHOWS: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (DECEMBER 16, 2025) (VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT TV - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT NICOLAS MADURO DANCING TO THE SONG "NOT WAR YES PEACE" DURING THE WORKING CLASS CONGRESS

2. RED CAP ON MADURO'S HEAD, READING (English): "No war, yes peace."

3. ATTENDEES AT THE EVENT

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT NICOLAS MADURO, SAYING:

[SOUNDBITE STARTS OVER A SHOT OF AUDIENCE LISTENING, THEN CONTINUES OVER MADURO SPEAKING AND VARIOUS SHOTS OF AUDIENCE AND OFFICIALS LISTENING]

"Now, the oil workers, through this international constituent commission, must move to defend the right to free trade of our main export product, Venezuelan oil, in every international arena: multilateral bodies and labor organizations. We must speak with shipowners in ports around the world to prepare a protest by oil and gas workers, and by merchant marine workers, against what we see as piracy by the U.S. government, which is trying to impose privateering again. A big global protest, permanent, not just for one day, and to prepare the defense of freed trade for Venezuela and the whole world, because defending free trade and peace in the Caribbean and in Venezuela is defending free trade and peace for the whole world."

5. ATTENDEES CHEERING

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT NICOLAS MADURO, SAYING:

[SOUNDBITE CONTINUES OVER VARIOUS SHOTS OF MADURO SPEAKING AND VARIOUS SHOTS OF PUBLIC AND OFFICIALS LISTENING]

"We tell the people of the United States our truth, and it is very clear: imperialism and the Nazi-fascist right-wing want to colonize Venezuela to take our wealth—oil, gas, gold, iron, aluminum, and other minerals. We have sworn to defend our homeland, and in Venezuela peace will always prevail, along with stability and shared happiness for our people. To the people of the United States we say again and again, one and a thousand times: (in English) Not blood for oil, not war for oil. (in Spanish) The claims about drug trafficking are fake news, a lie, an excuse. Since they cannot accuse us of weapons of mass destruction, chemical weapons, or nuclear missiles, they invent another pretext to create another Afghanistan, another Libya. And with moral authority, and with God's blessing, I say: (in English) no more Vietnam, no more Afghanistan, no more Libya, no more Iraq—no more endless war. (in Spanish) We know we are morally and spiritually in the right."

7. MADURO SPEAKING DURING THE WORKING CLASS CONGRESS

8. VARIOUS OF MADURO AND HIS WIFE CILIA FLORES GREETING PEOPLE AT THE END OF THE EVENT