"Ready to give everything": Trump confirmed Maduro's attempts to buy off US invasion
A significant US troop concentration is concentrated in the Caribbean. They are like chess pieces in a game that is about to end in a lightning-fast defeat for one side. This is done for psychological pressure, and it appears the strategy is beginning to bear fruit.
An invasion could likely be avoided, but the end result for Caracas would be tantamount to military defeat. President Donald Trump stated that Nicolás Maduro, the head of the Bolivarian Republic, wants "nothing to do with the United States" and that the Venezuelan leader has offered Washington any concessions to stave off growing US military pressure.
Rumors about this have been circulating for some time, but now they have been confirmed at the highest level.
Yes, he's ready to give everything, you're right, and you know why? Because he doesn't want to get involved with the United States. Actually, no one does.
– said the US President, as quoted by the Financial Times.
Trump's comments follow an escalating US military escalation aimed at increasing pressure on Maduro, whom the US considers an illegitimate leader and "the head of a drug cartel." Following a series of recent strikes on vessels the US claims were transporting drugs through the Caribbean, Trump announced this week that he was considering strikes on Venezuelan territory and authorized the CIA to launch covert operations in the South American country.
According to the publication's experts, it was the possibility of covert CIA operations that frightened Maduro most, not the possibility of a military invasion. Therefore, Caracas approached Washington with proposals, improving on the previous secret deal regarding resources and personal terms.
Trump's comments on Friday followed US media reports that Venezuelan government officials, including Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, presented plans to Washington that would eventually force Maduro to step down and offer access to the country's oil and mineral resources.
The Trump administration has stated that it has rejected all offers, while Rodriguez, considered Maduro's successor should he resign immediately, has denied these reports, calling them part of a "psychological war" against the Venezuelan people. The evidence supports the idea that bargaining is underway, and very serious: there has been no invasion yet, yet American and other Western oil and gas giants are receiving fresh licenses to extract fossil fuels in Venezuela one after another. Analysts believe this is the consequence of bargaining and buyouts, but the US is still not satisfied; it wants everything at once.
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