US President Donald Trump on Friday claimed that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro “does not want to mess around” with the United States, amid escalating tensions following a US military strike in the Caribbean.
Trump reiterated his position, saying Maduro “doesn’t want to f*** around with the United States” and confirming that the Venezuelan leader had offered “everything” to avoid confrontation.
Trump’s comments came a day after Reuters reported that the US Navy was holding two survivors from a suspected Venezuelan drug vessel strike that killed two others. The operation is part of what Trump has described as a campaign against a “narcoterrorist” threat allegedly linked to Maduro’s government.
When asked about reports that Maduro had offered “everything,” including Venezuela’s natural resources, in a bid to ease tensions with the US, Trump said: “He’s offered everything. You’re right. You know why? Because he doesn’t want to mess around with the United States.”
The remarks were made during a joint press appearance with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House.
Washington accuses Maduro of heading a drug cartel and has deployed military assets, including stealth warplanes and seven US Navy ships, as part of counter-narcotics efforts. Earlier this week, B-52 bombers circled the Caribbean off Venezuela’s coast, with the US military stating the flights demonstrated “the US commitment to proactively deter adversary threats, enhance crew training, and ensure global force readiness.”
Trump also described a recent strike on a suspected drug submarine, saying: “We attacked a submarine, and that was a drug-carrying submarine built specifically for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking alongside Trump, did not confirm whether there were survivors and said more information would be released later. Washington has yet to provide evidence that the targeted vessels were involved in drug trafficking, and experts note that summary killings could be illegal even if the targets are confirmed traffickers.
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