U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday told reporters that the United States is not concerned about an escalation with Russia when it comes to Venezuela, as President Donald Trump builds up military forces in the Caribbean.

Closely tied to Washington during much of the Cold War, Venezuela has gone through political upheavals over the years that now make it a major enemy in the eyes of the Trump administration.

The votes follow a monthslong military campaign against alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.

Trump orders total blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers as the South American nation controls world's largest oil reserves with over 300 billion barrels.

The U.S. military said on Wednesday it had launched another attack on an alleged drug boat, killing four people.

The fleet of ghost ships Venezuela uses to smuggle part of its oil to black markets, which President Donald Trump vowed this week to stop with a military blockade, is made up of dozens of old tankers and operates following the example of other nations under sanctions such as Russia and Iran,

Venezuela’s debt crisis is one of the largest unresolved sovereign defaults in the world, the legacy of years of economic collapse and U.S. sanctions that severed the country from international capital markets.

While the stock hasn’t shown much momentum, the business remains robust: although revenue has declined at an average of 6.2% annually over the last three