As Washington intensifies its pressure campaign, which has received sharp rebukes from Russia and China, President Donald Trump has issued a new warning to Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. He said “it would be smart” for the Venezuelan leader to step down.
After four months of mounting pressure on Caracas, Trump made the suggestion that he was prepared to further escalate the conflict with his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday. He was accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
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When asked if the goal was to remove Maduro from office, Trump responded, “Well, I think it probably would… That’s up to him what he wants to do.” I believe that his actions would be wise. However, we’ll learn more.
The US leader continued, “If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he can play tough.”
Trump threatened to retaliate by chasing a third oil tanker, which the US Coast Guard described as a “dark fleet” used by Venezuela to avoid US sanctions, for a second day.
Trump said, “It’s moving along, and we’ll eventually get it.”
The coastguard has seized nearly 4 million barrels of Venezuelan oil so far, and the US president also promised to keep the two ships.
“Maybe we’ll sell it,” he said. We might keep it, perhaps. He said, “We might use it in the strategic reserves.” We continue to do so. We also keep the ships in tact.
Maduro responds with a rip.
Venezuela’s crucial oil sector is the target of a significant US military deployment whose stated goal is to combat drug trafficking, as well as more than 20 strikes on suspected drug traffickers in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, both of which are carried out close to the South American nation.
More than 100 people have been killed in the attacks, which have raised questions of their legality.
Venezuela denies involvement in drug trafficking and asserts that Washington wants to seize Maduro’s largest oil reserves in the world.
The US’s vessel seizures have been labeled as “international piracy,” according to Caracas.
In a speech aired on public television hours after Trump’s most recent speech, Maduro claimed that if he focused on his own nation’s problems rather than threaten Caracas, he would be better served.
If he took care of his country’s affairs, Mauro claimed, “He would be better off in his own country on economic and social issues, and he would be better off in the world.”
A UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday to address the growing crisis was the subject of the escalating rhetoric.
In a telephone call with Venezuela’s counterpart Yvan Gil, the country’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov expressed “deep concern” about Washington’s Caribbean operations and the potential impact of regional stability and international shipping.
In the current circumstances, Moscow “reaffirmed its full support for and solidarity with the Venezuelan leadership and people,” according to a statement from the Russian foreign ministry.
US embargo on the country
China also criticized the US’s most recent actions as a “grave violation of international law.”
Beijing “opposes any actions that violate the objectives and principles of the United Nations Charter and infringe on the sovereignty and security of other countries,” according to Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
“Venezuela has the right to grow independently and work with other countries in a way that benefits both.” China agrees with Venezuela’s position regarding the protection of its fundamental rights and interests, he continued.
Rubio had earlier rejected Caracas’s support last week.
He claimed that because “they have their hands full in Ukraine,” Washington was “not worried about an escalation with Russia with regard to Venezuela.”
Trump has expressed frustration with Moscow over the lack of a resolution to the Ukraine war, which has caused US-Russian relations to deteriorate recently.
Gil, the Venezuelan foreign minister, meanwhile read a letter on state television, signed by Maduro and addressed to UN member nations, warning that the US embargo on the country would disrupt global oil and energy supplies.
Venezuela “reaffirms its vocation for peace,” he said, adding that it is “ready to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and resources in accordance with international law.”
