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Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro has accused the US of "fabricating a new war", after it ordered the world's largest warship to be sent to the Caribbean.
The USS Gerald R Ford can carry up to 90 aircraft and its deployment marks a massive increase in US firepower in the region.
The US has conducted 10 air strikes on vessels in the area as part of what it says is a war on drug traffickers.
US President Donald Trump has accused Maduro of being the leader of a drug-trafficking organisation, which he denies, and there are fears in Venezuela that the US military build-up is aimed at removing the long-time opponent of Trump from power.
The US is among many nations that do not recognise Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate leader, after the last election in 2024 was widely dismissed as neither free nor fair. Opposition tallies from polling stations showed its candidate had won by a landslide.
Venezuela plays a relatively minor role in the region's drug trade.
