"Vladimir Padrino, Venezuelan Defence Minister, warned on Wednesday that the outcome of escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas could shape a 'new world order.' "What happens in Venezuela will define the new world order. And we will then see if it is a world open to cooperation, a world open to relations of respect with states, a world where sovereignty is respected, [...] or a world driven by chaos, force, and isolationism," Padrino said during a Christmas gathering with the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) at the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base in Caracas. The minister stated that Venezuela desires peace and defended its right to be a nation "of prosperity, free from subjugation and imperial control." "The use of force to impose a political, social, or economic model - telling people what to buy, from whom, and under whose rules - is over. That era has ended. We are entering a new world, and we must understand it," he added. Padrino added that recent US actions against Venezuela, including military deployments in the Caribbean Sea, reflect 'desperation' as Washington faces the decline of its global hegemony. "What imperialism does is react with arrogance and desperation, and that is exactly what we are witnessing today. An empire responding out of the fear of losing the power it once held," he said. On Tuesday, Venezuela convened a meeting at the UN Security Council to denounce what it called a 'naval blockade' and the recent US seizure of at least two oil tankers. While Russia and China condemned the unilateral 'military and economic pressure,' the session concluded without any binding action, blocked by the US veto."