The government of Trinidad and Tobago announced Monday that it will grant the U.S. military access to the Caribbean nation's airports in the coming weeks, deepening a security partnership that has drawn sharp criticism from neighboring Venezuela and domestic opposition figures alike.

The Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs said it has "granted approvals" for U.S. military aircraft to use the country's airports, adding that Washington indicated the flights would be "logistical in nature, facilitating supply replenishment and routine personnel rotations."

"The honorable prime minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, has affirmed the government's commitment to cooperation and collaboration in the pursuit of safety and security for Trinidad and Tobago and the wider region," the ministry said in a statement. "We welcome the continued support of the United States."

The twin-island nation sits just seven miles from Venezuela at its closest point. It has two main airports: Piarco International Airport in Trinidad and ANR Robinson International Airport in Tobago.

The announcement follows months of expanded military cooperation between Washington and Port of Spain as the Trump administration has ramped up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Radar installation and Marine presence

The U.S. military recently installed a high-tech radar unit at the airport in Tobago. The system is believed to be an AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR, which defense contractor Northrop Grumman says is used for air surveillance, air defense and counter-fire operations.

Persad-Bissessar initially denied reports that U.S. Marines were present in Trinidad and Tobago. She later retracted those statements, acknowledging that more than 100 Marines were in the country working on the radar system, as well as airport runway and road improvements.

"They will help us to improve our surveillance and the intelligence of the radars for the narco-traffickers in our waters and outside our waters," the prime minister said last month.

The Caribbean nation has also conducted joint military drills with the U.S. 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit in late October and mid-November. In October, the USS Gravely, a guided missile destroyer, docked in Port of Spain for military exercises.

The U.S. Southern Command has deployed a substantial military presence in the region, including warships, fighter jets and the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier.

Venezuela cancels gas deals, accuses Trinidad of complicity

Hours after Monday's announcement, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said her country was immediately terminating any "agreement, contract or negotiation" to supply natural gas to Trinidad and Tobago.

In a statement posted to Telegram, Rodríguez accused Trinidad and Tobago of participating in the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela's coast last week.

U.S. forces intercepted the Skipper tanker near the Venezuelan coast on Dec. 10, where it was believed to be carrying nearly 2 million barrels of Venezuelan heavy crude. The Maduro government described the seizure as "piracy, a serious violation of international law and a blatant breach of the principles of free navigation and trade."

Rodríguez accused Persad-Bissessar of maintaining "a hostile agenda against Venezuela since taking office, including the installation of US military radars to target vessels transporting Venezuelan oil."

"This official has turned the territory of Trinidad and Tobago into a US aircraft carrier to attack Venezuela, in an unequivocal act of vassalage," Rodríguez said.

The Venezuelan statement did not specify what role Trinidad and Tobago allegedly played in the tanker seizure.

Persad-Bissessar told the Associated Press she was not bothered by the accusations, describing them as "simply false propaganda."

"They should direct their complaints to President Trump, as it is the U.S. military that has seized the sanctioned oil tanker," she said. "In the meantime, we continue to have peaceful relations with the Venezuelan people."

The prime minister asserted that her nation has "never depended" on Venezuela for natural gas supplies, saying Trinidad and Tobago has "adequate reserves within our territory."

The two countries had previously been working to develop the Dragon gas field, located in Venezuelan waters near the maritime border. In December 2023, Venezuela granted a license for Shell and Trinidad and Tobago to produce gas from the field. In October, the U.S. government granted Trinidad and Tobago permission to negotiate the gas deal without facing American sanctions on Venezuela.

Maduro first ordered the "immediate suspension" of the Dragon field deal when the USS Gravely docked in Trinidad's capital in late October.

Domestic opposition voices concern

Not everyone in Trinidad and Tobago supports the expanded military cooperation with Washington.

Amery Browne, an opposition senator and the country's former foreign minister, accused the Persad-Bissessar government of being deceptive in its announcement.

"There is nothing routine about this. It has nothing to do with the usual cooperation and friendly collaborations that we have enjoyed with the USA and all of our neighbors for decades," Browne said.

He said Trinidad and Tobago has become "complicit facilitators of extrajudicial killings, cross-border tension and belligerence."

Browne argued that the "blanket permission" granted to the U.S. military takes the country "a further step down the path of a satellite state" and embraces a "'might is right' philosophy."

The former foreign minister had previously warned that Trinidad and Tobago risked being drawn into the Trump administration's broader campaign against the Maduro regime.

US strikes and congressional scrutiny

The partnership comes as the U.S. military has conducted lethal strikes against suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean. Those operations began in September and have killed more than 80 people, including several Trinidadian citizens.

Persad-Bissessar has praised the strikes.

President Donald Trump has described Venezuela as "not a friendly country" and spoken with Maduro after declaring the airspace over Venezuela should be considered closed.

The U.S. strikes have drawn scrutiny on Capitol Hill. American lawmakers have questioned the legality of the operations and recently announced a congressional review.

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado has expressed support for Trump's approach to dealing with the Maduro government.

Trinidad and Tobago, with a population of approximately 1.3 million, has said the partnership allows it to benefit from joint military training exercises, enhanced surveillance capabilities and operations that have intercepted shipments of illegal narcotics.