Airlines need to treat the airspace over and around Venezuela as closed, US President Donald Trump has said.

"To all airlines, pilots, drug traffickers and people movers, please be aware that the airspace over and around Venezuela is completely closed," he wrote on the Truth Social network on Nov. 29.

Airlines began canceling flights to and from Venezuela even after the corresponding recommendation of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on November 22, Bloomberg writes. At that time, the agency advised carriers to "exercise caution" against the backdrop of escalation between the two countries.

The U.S. has increased pressure on Venezuela in recent months as part of a campaign against drug trafficking, which the Trump administration claims the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is behind. Trump has sent a large group of troops to Venezuela's coast as part of the campaign. In recent days, the US president has hinted at a possible ground operation in Venezuela. For his part, Maduro earlier this week called on Venezuelans to "give their lives" if necessary to defend the country from "imperialist attacks."

Trump's statement about closed skies over Venezuela could be an attempt to gain leverage in potential future negotiations with Maduro - direct or indirect, Bloomberg notes. Or Trump's words could be a harbinger of expanded strikes in the region, which so far have targeted Venezuelan maritime vessels that the U.S. claims are carrying drugs.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor

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