“We don’t want peace for slaves.” Maduro does not give in to Trump’s threats and stays in Venezuela

In a speech to his supporters, Maduro demanded that peace with the United States guarantee Venezuelan sovereignty and rejected what he describes as “colonial peace”.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro promised “absolute loyalty” to the Venezuelan people and renewed calls for peace during a mass rally in Caracas, this Monday, amid the escalation of tensions with the United States and the military threat of Donald Trump.

In his speech to thousands of supporters in front of the Miraflores Palace, Maduro insisted that Venezuela is looking for a peace “with sovereignty, equality and freedom”rejecting what he described as attempts to impose a “colonial peace” or “slave peace” on the country.

The rally coincided with reports that US President Donald Trump met with his national security team to review the “next steps” regarding Venezuela, following a significant increase in the American military presence in the Caribbean. washington sent 15 thousand soldiers and the largest aircraft carrier in the world for the region, as part of what it calls a campaign against drug trafficking.

Trump also classified the so-called Cartel de los Soles, which is accused by US authorities of being a drug trafficking organization led by Maduro, as a terrorist entity. Since September, US forces have carried out at least 21 attacks against Venezuelan vessels in the Caribbean and the Pacific, resulting in at least 83 deaths, with the justification of combating drug trafficking.

Experts note that the scale of American firepower far exceeds what is normally needed for counter-narcotics operations and Caracas accuses Washington of trying to force regime change to take control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. Maduro accused the US, on Monday, of practice “psychological terrorism”stating that the country suffered “22 weeks of aggression” that tested national unity.

Meanwhile, more revelations were also made about the phone call between Trump and Maduro. According to , Trump offered Maduro safe conduct to leave Venezuela during a call on November 21. Maduro reportedly expressed his willingness to leave the country if he and more than 100 government officials receive full amnestyincluding the lifting of sanctions and the shelving of a pending case at the International Criminal Court. Trump reportedly rejected most of the conditions, but gave Maduro a week to leave. The deadline passed on Friday, prompting Trump to announce the closure of Venezuelan airspace, according to the report.