In a bold move, Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, suggesting that he and his wife should leave the country to avoid repercussions. This comes as the United States boosts its military presence in the region with additional warships and troops.
These developments unfolded on Friday during a period marked by a series of deadly American drone strikes targeting alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers, resulting in over 80 casualties.
According to a report by The Miami Herald, Trump offered Maduro and his family safe passage if the Venezuelan leader agreed to step down immediately.
Insiders familiar with the conversation revealed that Maduro requested international amnesty, a plea that Trump swiftly denied. Maduro then proposed to retain control over the Venezuelan military in exchange for conducting free elections.
Trump dismissed Maduro’s proposal, which led Maduro to outright reject the notion of resignation.
On Sunday, Trump confirmed his recent communication with Maduro amidst escalating tensions between the US and Venezuela, as Caracas accused Washington of gearing up for a military assault.
The United States is piling the pressure on Venezuela, with a major military buildup in the Caribbean, the designation of an alleged drug cartel run by Maduro as a terrorist group, and an ominous warning from Trump that Venezuelan airspace is ‘closed.’
Washington says the aim of the military deployment launched in September is to curb drug trafficking in the region, but Caracas insists regime change is the ultimate goal.
‘I wouldn’t say it went well or badly. It was a phone call,’ Trump told reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One.
Donald Trump (pictured) has warned Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro to flee now alongside his wife or face the consequences as the US loads up on warships and troops in the region
A source familiar with the call said that Maduro (pictured) asked Trump for global amnesty, which the president rejected, before asking to keep his control of the Venezuelan armed forces in exchange for free elections
The New York Times reported Friday that Trump and Maduro had discussed a possible meeting, while The Wall Street Journal said Saturday that the conversation also included conditions of amnesty if Maduro were to step down.
Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin said Sunday on CNN’s ‘State of the Union’ talk show that the United States has offered Maduro the chance to leave his country for Russia or elsewhere.
The United States accuses Maduro, the political heir to Venezuela’s late leftist leader Hugo Chavez, of heading the ‘Cartel of the Suns’ and has issued a $50 million reward for his capture.
But Venezuela and countries that support it insist no such organization even exists.
Several Venezuela experts say what Washington calls the Cartel of the Suns refers to the corruption of senior officials by criminal gangs.
The United States also does not recognize Maduro as the legitimate winner of last year’s presidential election.
Though Trump has not publicly threatened to use force against Maduro, he said in recent days that efforts to halt Venezuelan drug trafficking ‘by land’ would begin ‘very soon.’
In the past week, Navy vessels have been seen sailing increasingly closer to the South American nation.
The talks occurred Friday amid a series of lethal American drone strikes against suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers in the region that has killed over 80 people
The new wave of deployments began in August with the arrival of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group. In October, the US announced that the 1106ft USS Gerald R Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world, would also join the mission.
The carrier reached Caribbean waters on November 11 with more than four thousand sailors, fighter jets and support vessels, including the USS Thomas Hudner, USS Rampage, and USS Normandy.
The Pentagon is calling the presence ‘Operation Southern Spear,’ with over 15,000 troops estimated in the area.
Meanwhile, in Venezuela, Maduro has said eight million civilians are training in militias.
However, the military’s equipment is decades old, most of which was purchased from Russia in the early 2000s.
