Caracas, April 4 (RHC)-- The Grupo de Puebla has strongly denounced the deployment of military forces at the Venezuelan maritime borders by the United States under the pretext of the war on drugs.  The group of leftist leaders rejected the use of force and threats against Venezuela, saying the U.S. move violated international law. 

The communique also warned UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council about the implications of such interference in domestic affairs for the Latin American region and the Caribbean.  "An escalation of tension in the area is occuring during moments when all the hemisphere should be united in solidarity in order to address those affected by the COVID-19 as a maximum priority." 

Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he would launch anti-drug operations in the Caribbean and other seas in the Western Hemisphere in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, sending warships off the coast of Venezuela.

Trump's announcement occurred at the White House daily press conference on COVID-19, which has left much of the country's residents confined to their homes.