French politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon accused President Donald Trump of preparing an aggression against Venezuela to steal its oil, supported by far-right mercenaries, in an X post published between 8:16 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. UTC on December 18, 2025. Mélenchon stated on X, "To steal the Venezuelans' oil, Trump, supported by a band of far-right mercenaries, traitors to their country, is preparing an aggression. Trump will kill, steal, wherever he can in South America in the name of Empire." He called for the UN Security Council to act as requested by Mexico's Claudia Sheinbaum. This statement comes amid reports of U.S. military flight activity near Venezuela, including a U.S. aircraft passing within 28 miles of the Venezuelan shore between 7:16 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. UTC, as noted by @TheIntelFrog on X, and President Trump questioned on congressional authorization for land attacks on Venezuela during the same period, according to @CrannofonixNews. Earlier U.S. Air Force operations included a KC-135 Stratotanker refueling mission from Topeka, Kansas, reported between 7:46 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. UTC by @ArmchairAdml.
