HAVANA, March 17 -- Retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro hailed Venezuela's "battle ready" armed forces, calling them the "best equipped in Latin America," the state media reported Tuesday

In a letter addressed Monday to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Castro first underscored Venezuela's willingness to conduct dialogue with its ideological foe the United States, before noting its readiness to fight a possible military incursion.

"Venezuela has clearly declared that it has always been willing to discuss (differences) with the United States government in a peaceful and civilized way, but will never accept intimidation and sanctions from that country," wrote Castro.

"Today Venezuela has the best equipped soldiers and officers in Latin America," said Castro, adding "when you met with the officials in recent days, it was evident they were ready to sacrifice their last drop of blood for the country."

The letter came in the wake of heightened tensions between the United States and Venezuela, following a March 9 executive order of Washington calling Venezuela "an unusual and extraordinary threat to national security."

The strongly worded statement raised suspicions in Venezuela and other Latin American nations that the U.S. was laying the groundwork for a military strike.

A meeting of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) took place in Caracas Tuesday to, as Castro described it, "analyze the unusual policy of the U.S. government against Venezuela and the ALBA."

This is Castro's second letter to Maduro since the White House issued the alarming executive order just over a week ago.

Washington has ratcheted up its anti-Maduro rhetoric while it warmed up its ties with Venezuela's closest regional ally and ideological partner, Cuba.

The U.S. Department of State has said its confrontation with Venezuela will not affect the normalization of diplomatic ties with Cuba.

Maduro said Cuban leader Raul Castro has assured him that at the ALBA gathering, they will forge "a common united position."