Khaberni - President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened Delcy Rodríguez, Vice President of Venezuela, with paying a "greater price than what Maduro paid" if she does not cooperate with Washington, and he also repeated his demand to annex the island of Greenland.
In a phone interview with "The Atlantic" magazine, Trump said "we will not tolerate the Venezuelan vice president unless she does the right thing, she will pay a very high price, perhaps even higher than Maduro," who was arrested along with his wife by American special forces in a surprise operation in Caracas yesterday, Saturday.
Earlier today, an Al Jazeera correspondent confirmed that the Supreme Constitutional Court of Venezuela had assigned Rodríguez to temporarily assume the presidency.
American officials including Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio hinted at the possibility of cooperating with the remaining officials from Maduro's administration, but only if they take the "right steps", including allowing American companies to benefit from the country’s vast oil reserves.
Earlier today, the American Secretary of State waved the option of land invasion of Venezuela, confirming the ongoing extensive military deployment in the Caribbean region and what he called the oil embargo on the country.
Rubio told CBS Network that President Trump’s administration "will not rule out the option of land forces in Venezuela, but it will continue the oil embargo on it until we see changes that serve both American interests and the Venezuelan people."
Trump on Saturday stated that his country would "manage" Venezuela in a transitional stage, considering that "rebuilding in Venezuela and regime change, whatever you call it, is better than what currently exists." He warned that Venezuela "may not be the last country to face American intervention."
The United States arrested the President of Venezuela in a military operation, early yesterday Saturday, thus crowning a months-long pressure campaign by the Trump administration.
A plane carrying Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who were detained, arrived in New York yesterday evening local time, where they are expected to appear before the federal court in Manhattan.
Annexing Greenland
In another matter, Trump today repeated his demand for the autonomous region of Greenland, which is part of Denmark, to become part of the United States. He said "we definitely need Greenland, we need it for our security".
In response to a question about whether the military operation in Venezuela is indicative of what the United States might do in Greenland, Trump "They will have to see for themselves, I really do not know."
After being elected for a second presidential term, the American president referred to the "need" for the island of Greenland, and he has repeatedly expressed his desire to annex it. The island's importance lies in its mineral wealth and its strategic location at the junction of the North Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean.
