Khaberni - U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that he does not rule out the deployment of American troops on the ground in Venezuela, while at the same time expressing his readiness to listen directly to his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, regarding his proposals to avoid further U.S. military escalation.
In response to the question of whether he rules out deploying U.S. troops on the ground in Venezuela, Trump said: "No, I don’t rule it out, I don’t rule anything out." However, in response to journalists’ questions at the White House about whether he would speak directly to Maduro, Trump said: "It is possible that I will talk to him, yes. I talk to everyone."
The United States is bombing boats it accuses of smuggling drugs from the Venezuelan coast and the Pacific coast of Latin America.
Maduro has repeatedly stated that the U.S. military reinforcements in the region aim to remove him from power.
Trump's comments indicate that he is ready for significant escalation against Venezuela, even though he is open to exiting this deadlock if the Venezuelan government presents him with an interesting enough proposal. The U.S. president also said he wants to eliminate cocaine labs in Colombia, but he did not announce any direct military intervention there.
The U.S. Department of War announced before Trump's recent statements that the largest U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, Gerald R. Ford, carrying 5000 military personnel and dozens of warplanes, has moved with its strike group to the Caribbean Sea area, adding to the 8 warships, a nuclear submarine, and F-35 aircraft already sent to the region.
So far, the Trump administration has focused on bombing boats that it claims are carrying drugs and launched from the shores of Venezuela and other countries in Latin America.
