Venezuelan President calls US tariff war the end of Western globalization

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has sharply condemned the US-imposed trade duties, saying they marked the end of Western globalization. He made a corresponding criticism on April 9 during the IX summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Tegucigalpa.

"The aggression is directed against the whole world. The trade, economic, tariff war against 180 countries of the world has led to what today can be called the end of Western globalization," the Infobae portal quotes him as saying.

Maduro noted that international trade and economic law, as well as bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, were "mortally wounded." In this context, he mentioned the World Trade Organization (WTO), saying that it was "buried under the missiles of the tariff war."

In addition, he expressed the opinion that appropriate US measures could put an end to the multipolar world that has emerged in recent decades with the development of new powers, countries and regions.

Postscript: Trump's trade war threatens the world with recession

Increased tariffs for US partners will begin to take effect on April 9.

Maduro announced on April 8 the imposition of an economic emergency in the country in response to the imposition of duties by the United States, which he called a trade war. The decision will take effect on Tuesday and is aimed at protecting the national economy from the effects of international sanctions.

On April 2, US President Donald Trump announced large-scale trade measures: base tariffs of 10% are being introduced for all products supplied to the United States. For the EU, this figure has been raised to 20%, and for China — to 34%. Later, on April 9, the American leader announced an increase in trade duties against China to 125%.

In addition, in February, Trump called Venezuela an enemy of the United States and recalled that in his first term, he imposed sanctions against Caracas. However, the administration of former US President Joe Biden has begun to purchase billions of dollars' worth of oil from the Latin American state.