Trinidad and Tobago announced it will open its airports to U.S. military operations as tensions with Venezuela grow, according to an Associated Press report shared by EndGameWW3 on X during the 59-minute reporting window from 11:46 p.m. UTC on December 15 to 12:45 a.m. UTC on December 16. Separately, over 120 Russian military personnel led by a general arrived in Venezuela on an advisory mission to train forces on new Pantsir-S1 air defense systems provided by Russia, per Globalsurv on X in the same period. The AP report attributes Trinidad and Tobago's decision to escalating regional tensions following Venezuela's termination of natural gas contracts with the island nation on December 15 over a U.S. seizure of Venezuelan oil on December 10, as stated in an official Venezuelan government release. Russian personnel provide broad training on various systems amid U.S. military pressure, according to the X post. This follows U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order on December 15 declaring fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction linked to Venezuelan drug trafficking, prompting U.S. military aircraft deployments to Puerto Rico. Venezuela previously accused Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of supporting U.S. actions against Venezuelan vessels.
