Telephone conversation between leaders of the United States and Venezuela was revealed by ‘The New York Times’
Donald Trump confirmed this Sunday (30) that he recently had a telephone conversation with the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro. The Venezuelan leader accuses Washington of using the fight against drug trafficking as a pretext to mobilize military forces in the Caribbean with the aim of removing him from power.
The United States claims that Maduro leads a drug cartel. Since September, the American government has deployed several forces to the region, including the largest aircraft carrier in the world, which has increased tension with Caracas. Regarding the call, Trump minimized the content. “I wouldn’t say it was good or bad. It was a telephone call”, declared the president, after the conversation was revealed by the The New York Times.
The Republican toughened his speech against Venezuela over the weekend, stating on Saturday that Venezuelan airspace should be considered “closed”. Although he did not explicitly threaten to use military force, he said that actions “on the ground” to contain Venezuelan drug trafficking should begin “very soon”.
Republican Congressman Markwayne Mullin, a member of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, told CNN that Maduro had been given the “opportunity to leave” and could seek refuge in Russia or another country. Asked about a possible US offensive, Mullin denied: “He made it very clear that we are not going to send troops to Venezuela. What we are trying to do is protect our own coast.”
*With information from AFP
