(AFP) – President Donald Trump said Monday he will talk to Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro as Washington’s military buildup stokes tensions. He added that he would be “OK” with US anti-drug strikes inside Mexico. Trump has dramatically increased the number of US forces in the Caribbean to tackle what he calls drug traffickers based in a number of Latin American countries, including Venezuela and Mexico.
“At a certain period of time, I’ll be talking to him,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked if he would speak to Maduro, while adding that the Venezuelan president “has not been good to the United States.” Asked if he would rule out US troops on the ground in Venezuela, Trump replied: “No I don’t rule out that, I don’t rule out anything.” He added, “We just have to take care of Venezuela. They dumped hundreds of thousands of people into our country from prisons.”
Venezuela has accused Washington of seeking regime change in Caracas with its military build-up, which includes an aircraft carrier group, warships, and several stealth jets. Washington accuses Maduro of leading a “terrorist” drug cartel, a charge he denies.
But Trump has also accused Mexico of failing to tackle drug trafficking groups, and stepped up his rhetoric towards the United States’s southern neighbor. “Would I launch strikes in Mexico to stop drugs? It’s OK with me. Whatever we have to do to stop drugs,” Trump said when asked by reporters at the White House whether he would sanction a US counter-drug operation in Mexico.
“I didn’t say I’m doing it, but I’d be proud to do it. Because we’re going to save millions of lives by doing it.”
© 2024 AFP
