Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump said Monday it would be “smart” for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down, as U.S. naval forces pressed a blockade targeting Venezuela’s oil shipments and tensions escalated between Washington and Caracas.
Venezuela’s key ally, Russia, expressed its “full support” for Maduro’s government, even as the United States expanded military operations and issued sharper warnings to the South American nation.
Asked by reporters at his Florida home whether Washington’s actions were aimed at forcing Maduro from power after 12 years in office, President Trump said, “That’s up to him, what he wants to do. I think it would be smart for him to do that.”
He added, “If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever able to play tough.”
Russia’s statement of support came ahead of a United Nations Security Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday to address the growing crisis.
In a phone call, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Venezuelan counterpart, Yvan Gil, criticized U.S. actions that have included strikes on boats Washington says were involved in drug trafficking, as well as the seizure of two oil tankers. A third vessel was being pursued, a U.S. official told AFP on Sunday.
Under President Trump’s orders, U.S. forces since September have carried out strikes on vessels Washington claims were trafficking drugs in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Last week, the president also announced a blockade of what he described as “sanctioned oil vessels” traveling to and from Venezuela.
President Trump has accused Maduro’s government of using oil revenue to finance “drug terrorism, human trafficking, murder and kidnapping.” He has also claimed Venezuela took “all of our oil,” an apparent reference to the country’s nationalization of its petroleum industry, and said, “we want it back.”
Venezuelan officials deny the allegations and accuse Washington of pursuing regime change. Caracas has described the U.S. actions as “international piracy.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week dismissed Moscow’s backing of Caracas, saying Washington was “not concerned about an escalation with Russia with regards to Venezuela,” adding that Russia “has their hands full in Ukraine.”
