Powerful warship USS Gravely docks in Trinidad and Tobago, off the coast of Venezuela

A U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Gravely, arrived Sunday in Trinidad and Tobago, an archipelago located off the coast of Venezuela, at a time when Washington is increasing pressure on the Nicolás Maduro regime.

The ship, equipped with guided missiles, was spotted during the morning off the capital, Port of Spain, as noted by AFP journalists. Its arrival, accompanied by a unit of Marines that will participate in joint exercises with the Trinidadian military, was announced days ago by the local government. It is scheduled to remain docked until Thursday.

The military presence is part of an expanded U.S. deployment in the Caribbean, initiated in August, which includes air operations against suspected drug trafficking vessels. In addition, Washington has announced the upcoming dispatch of the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, the largest in the world, representing a significant increase in its naval power in the region.

Maduro has described these actions as "attempts to invent a new war," accusing the U.S. of using the fight against drug trafficking as a pretext to seek regime change and access to Venezuelan oil reserves. Trump, for his part, maintains that Caracas is running criminal drug trafficking networks, accusations that include the Venezuelan dictator.

Reactions from Trinidad and Tobago have not been long in coming. Trinidadian Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has maintained a firm stance against Venezuelan immigration and has expressed open support for Trump's policy in the region.

The War Department also announced that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its Carrier Strike Group, consisting of the Arleigh Burke-Class guided-missile destroyers; USS Mahan (DDG-72), USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81), and USS Bainbridge (DDG-96), have been redirected from the Mediterranean Sea to the Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of responsibility near Venezuela.