Amsterdam, Netherlands – Greenpeace International is deeply concerned about the most recent illegal military action by President Donald Trump against Venezuela, violating both international law and his constitutional powers as US president.
Claiming de-facto control over the country, Trump stated that the US would be \u201cvery strongly involved\u201d in the country\u2019s oil industry.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cVenezuela holds the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world. Trump’s own words make it clear that control and exploitation of those reserves is his current priority. In an era of accelerating climate breakdown, eyeing Venezuela\u2019s vast oil reserves this way is both reckless and dangerous. The only safe path forward is a just transition away from fossil fuels, one that protects health, safeguards ecosystems, and supports communities rather than sacrificing them for short-term profit,\u201d warned Mads Christensen, Executive Director, Greenpeace International. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n At this critical moment, the rights, safety, and interests of the Venezuelan people must come first. Venezuelans should have the right to peacefully determine their own future free from coercion and violence. The situation must not be allowed to be exploited for short-term oil profiteering or extractive gain by foreign governments or corporations. <\/p>\n\n \u201cThe international community must now act decisively to uphold international law and prevent further harm. Governments should reject unilateral military intervention, demand an immediate de-escalation, and reaffirm the UN Charter\u2019s prohibition on the use of force for political or economic gain. Diplomatic efforts must prioritise civilian protection, independent monitoring of human rights and environmental risks, and accountability for any violations.\u201d The people of Venezuela have endured years of political turmoil, economic hardship, and deep social suffering, much of it intensified by extractive dependence and external pressure. It is clear that stability will not come through oil fields or military force. It is time to chart a different path. By mobilising climate finance, debt relief, and international support for a just transition to clean energy, governments can help deliver real improvements in livelihoods, protect ecosystems, and support a recovery grounded in dignity, self-determination, and a fossil-free future shaped by people, not profit.<\/p>\n\n ENDS<\/p>\n\n Contact<\/strong>: Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470<\/a> (available 24 hours), pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org<\/a> Greenpeace International is deeply concerned about the most recent illegal military action by President Donald Trump against Venezuela.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":72710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_planet4_optimize_post_is_variant":false,"_planet4_optimize_experiment_name":"","_planet4_optimize_variant_name":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"Greenpeace International calls for protection of Venezuelan people amid oil-driven US intervention","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[100],"tags":[87,90],"p4-page-type":[98],"class_list":["post-80551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-about","tag-oil","tag-peace","p4-page-type-press-release"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80551"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80551\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80559,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80551\/revisions\/80559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80551"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=80551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u201cCrucially, states must resist efforts to exploit the crisis for fossil fuel expansion and instead mobilise financial, legal, and political support for a just transition that serves the Venezuelan people \u2014 not oil interests,\u201d said Christensen.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"