FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
In his war against drug cartels, US President Donald Trump is increasingly intensifying pressure in the Caribbean. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is reportedly seeking support to counter a potential escalation.
According to the Washington Post, citing internal US government documents, Maduro has reached out to Russia, China and Iran. The Venezuelan president is reportedly seeking defensive radar systems, aircraft repairs and possibly missiles.
But the US military has again attacked a ship suspected of carrying drugs in the Caribbean. Three men on board were killed in the attack in international waters, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth announced on Platform X. His statement could not be independently verified at this time.
For weeks, the US has been attacking ships in the Caribbean and Pacific suspected of carrying drugs. Dozens of people have reportedly been killed. In many cases, the Trump administration has forged a connection with Venezuela.
The US president accuses the Venezuelan leader of controlling drug cartels; the Venezuelan leadership denies this. Trump also publicly revealed that he had authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela.
Trump dismissed reports of planned strikes inside Venezuela on Friday (October 31). Asked whether he was considering such maneuvers, he said on his flight to Florida: "No, that's not true." However, Trump left open whether that meant future US strikes were off the table or whether he had simply not made a final decision yet, as the German Press Agency reported. The Financial Times had previously reported that a US strike on Venezuela could happen soon.
The Venezuelan leadership, on the other hand, appears to be in turmoil. The request for support from Russia was reportedly addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the form of a letter. According to documents cited by the American newspaper, the letter was to be delivered during a visit by a senior adviser to Moscow this month.
Russia has sharply criticized the United States for its recent military operations against suspected drug couriers off the coast of Venezuela. The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned in the strongest terms the use of "excessive military force" in anti-drug operations on Saturday (November 1), as reported by Reuters.
The Russian Foreign Ministry released a statement on Friday by spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying “we support the Venezuelan leadership in defending its national sovereignty, taking into account the current international and regional situation.” It added: “we are ready to respond appropriately to the demands of our partners in the face of new threats.”
Besides Cuba, Nicaragua and China, Russia is Venezuela's most important ally. Russia and Venezuela recently reached a strategic partnership. The two countries aim to expand their cooperation in the fields of energy, mining, transport and security, as reported by the Russian state news agency TASS.
Lini një Përgjigje