Trump warns Maduro, China, Russia back Venezuela

US President Donald Trump has warned Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro that the wisest thing for him to do now would be to give up power. Increasing Washington’s pressure on Venezuela, Trump made it clear that if Maduro wants to take “tough action” on the situation, it would be his last mistake.
Trump made these comments to reporters after a meeting with his top national security officials at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday (December 22). Amid such a heated situation, Russia has declared its full support for the Maduro government. On the other hand, China has strongly condemned the US move. Al Jazeera reported.
The US Coast Guard has already launched an operation to take control of Venezuela’s vital oil sector. They have chased and seized three oil tankers from the country, which are carrying about 4 million barrels of oil. Trump has said that the oil and the ships will not be returned. The US could use the oil for its strategic reserves or sell it. Trump has claimed that Venezuela is using the ships to evade US sanctions.
The Venezuelan government has called Trump’s actions “international piracy”. President Maduro has advised Trump to focus on his own country’s economic and social problems rather than worrying about Venezuela. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Gil wrote to the United Nations that the US blockade would cause major disruptions to oil and energy supplies not only in their country but around the world.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov strongly condemned the US actions in a phone call with his Venezuelan counterpart. Russia believes that US military activity in the Caribbean Sea poses a major threat to international shipping and reiterated its commitment to stand by the Maduro government. China has also called the US actions “a gross violation of international law”. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Venezuela has the full right to develop independently and trade with other countries.
However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is not paying much attention to the threats from Russia and China. He believes that Russia is too busy with the war in Ukraine to take a strong role in the Venezuelan issue. The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to discuss the growing tensions on Tuesday (December 23). The United States has already announced that it will increase its military presence in the region as part of its anti-drug campaign, which has raised fears of a new conflict in Latin American politics.