Trump eyes war with Venezuela as US expands sanctions on Maduro

Summary
Donald Trump did not rule out the possibility of war with Venezuela, while Marco Rubio confirmed sanctions and the blockade against sanctioned oil tankers, thus increasing tensions between the countries.

After blocking oil tankers, Trump says he is not ruling out war against Venezuela:

The president of UNITED STATESDonald Trump left open the possibility of war with Venezuelawhile Marco Rubio, its Secretary of State, assured this Friday 19 that “nothing will prevent” Washington from enforcing the blockade against sanctioned oil tankers in the Caribbean.

When asked in a telephone interview with NBC News if he ruled out war, Trump replied, “I don’t rule it out.” The Republican, however, refused to say whether he intended to overthrow the Venezuelan dictator. Nicolas Maduro. “He knows exactly what I want,” Trump said. “He knows that better than anyone.”

Answering questions at a news conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he didn’t want to “speculate.” The Trump administration is exerting maximum pressure on Maduro and his government leaders and officially accusing him, with the support of the American justice system, of leading a drug trafficking cartel, the so-called “Cartel de los Soles”.

Attacks in the Caribbean

U.S. forces have carried out numerous attacks on suspected drug smuggling ships in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since September, killing more than 100 people.

But the most serious crisis in decades between the United States and Latin America shows no signs of being resolved quickly or abruptly, at least not voluntarily by Washington, according to Rubio’s statements.

Russia’s support for the government of dictator Nicolas Maduro is not a matter of concern, since Moscow is busy with the war in Ukraine, the secretary of state added during the press conference held at the State Department headquarters.

Tanker blockade

“It is clear that the current status quo with the Venezuelan regime is intolerable for the United States,” Rubio said.

“There is nothing that can hinder our ability to enforce American laws in relation to ships that have been sanctioned,” he stressed, when asked about Caracas’ announcement that its navy would escort tankers in the Caribbean.

Washington seized a sanctioned tanker last week and confiscated its cargo. Shortly after, Trump announced a “blockade” of “all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.” Ships escorted by Venezuelan forces have not been subject to sanctions so far, Rubio said.

Russia and China, the main buyer of Venezuelan oil, have expressed support for Maduro.

The precedent of 1962

The last naval blockade in the Caribbean occurred in October 1962, when the United States sent ships to prevent the Soviet Union from transporting missiles to Cuba.

The military and diplomatic crisis was resolved through direct negotiations between Washington and Moscow. Recently, Trump spoke on the phone with Maduro, but Rubio did not reveal the content of the conversation.

The Republican “has shown that he is willing to talk to anyone,” he said, including Colombian Gustavo Petro, whom the secretary called an “unusual president.”

Regarding the exchange of criticism between Petro and Trump, he said: “We will not allow an existing problem with an individual to damage such an important relationship.”

“We talk to anyone. Unfortunately, Petro is not a very stable person in his statements,” criticized the secretary. Those who do not collaborate with the national security objectives of the United States will not be exempt from criticism, he added.

“It’s not a question of left or right, it’s about having someone who cooperates with the United States,” Rubio stressed./With information from AFP.