John Bolton Says There Will Be No Military Intervention in Venezuela: 'Soldiers Are Enjoying the Caribbean and Going for Walks'

Former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said the recent designation of the so-called Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization does not signal that the United States is preparing military action in Venezuela, despite ongoing tensions and a significant U.S. deployment in the Caribbean.

The designation, which took effect Monday, labels the group Washington accuses President Nicolás Maduro of leading as a foreign terrorist organization and gives U.S. agencies additional legal authorities.

Bolton said the move adds "pressure" but does not however change the basic dynamics. "When an organization is designated as a foreign terrorist organization, it allows the use of certain legislative authority," he said in an interview with NTN24, adding that there is still no consensus on whether the alleged group is "really a cartel like the cartels in Mexico" or "a slogan of sorts."

Asked directly whether the designation could open the legal door to U.S. military operations, Bolton rejected the idea. "No, I don't think so," he said. "The Trump administration over the past years has been very confused, blurring the distinction between enforcing the law, on the one hand, and the abuse of military forces on the other."

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Bolton also described the recent U.S. naval and aerial activity in the region — which includes the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group — as lacking strategic coherence. "I think the planning has been very confused," he said, adding that the pressure campaign was intended to assist Venezuela's opposition but has not produced results. He said the opposition itself "is as in the dark as the rest of us about what this is."

Bolton characterized the U.S. military presence as temporary and largely routine. "The soldiers are enjoying the Caribbean and going for walks," he said. "They will be there a few days or a few weeks and then return. For them it will have been training and practice." He warned that military force should not be used "without a big plan, with a clear objective," saying otherwise it becomes "simply a show."

Bolton's comments come amid heightened tensions following the U.S. terror designation and expanded military activity in the region. They also follow recent remarks he made in which he argued that "overthrowing Nicolás Maduro is the only answer" for both Venezuela's future and regional security. In those remarks, he criticized recent actions toward Venezuela as "grandstanding" rather than part of a coherent strategy.

Despite his long-standing position that Maduro must leave power, Bolton said this week that the current U.S. posture does not indicate an imminent intervention, reiterating that "a force without a clear objective is not used."

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