Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was due to appear in a US court on Monday after his weekend capture by US forces, with President Donald Trump leaving open the possibility of another incursion if the US doesn’t get its way with the country’s interim leader. Trump told reporters on Sunday he could order another strike if Venezuela does not co-operate with US efforts to open up its oil industry and stop drug trafficking. He also threatened military action in Colombia and Mexico and said Cuba’s communist regime “looks like it’s ready to fall” on its own.
The Colombian and Mexican embassies in Washington did not immediately return requests for comment. The remarks by Trump came on the eve of Maduro’s scheduled appearance on Monday before a federal judge in New York. Maduro was detained during a military raid in Caracas on Saturday that drew international concern and plunged Venezuela into uncertainty.
“We’re in charge”, and “We’re taking back what they stole”, he said aboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington from Florida on Sunday. Oil companies will return to Venezuela and rebuild the country’s petroleum industry, Trump said. “They’re going to spend billions, and they’re going to take the oil out of the ground.” Global oil prices edged up in choppy trade as investors considered the implications of US military action in Venezuela, while stock markets rose in Asia.
Read Full Article on Business Day
[paywall]
Meanwhile, Maduro’s government remains in power in Caracas, and top officials have remained defiant. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who has taken over as interim leader, said Maduro remains president and has contradicted Trump’s claim she is willing to work with the US. Rodriguez, who also serves as oil minister, has long been considered the most pragmatic member of Maduro’s inner circle.
Maduro, 63, faces charges that accuse him of providing support to major drug trafficking groups, such as the Sinaloa Cartel and the Tren de Aragua gang. Prosecutors said he directed cocaine trafficking routes, used the military to protect shipments, sheltered violent trafficking groups and used presidential facilities to move drugs. The charges, filed in 2020, were updated on Saturday to include his wife, Cilia Flores, who is accused of ordering kidnappings and murders.
Maduro has denied wrongdoing, and it could be several months before he stands trial. The US has deemed Maduro an illegitimate dictator since he declared victory in a 2018 election marred by allegations of huge irregularities.
[/paywall]
