(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) President Trump held talks with his top advisers on Monday to discuss Venezuela amid a major US military buildup in the Caribbean and signs that he’s planning to launch attacks on the country, which would be illegal under the Constitution without congressional authorization.
At this point, it’s unclear exactly what was discussed during the talks or whether any decisions were made. The meeting came after Trump confirmed a report that he held a phone call with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a call that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has been leading the push toward war, also joined.
According to a report from the Miami Herald, Trump gave Maduro an ultimatum during the call, telling the Venezuelan leader that the only way he could save himself and his family was if he fled the country, and Maduro rejected his terms.
Maduro has made clear he’s willing to work with the US and reportedly offered significant access to Venezuela’s natural resources, but the Miami Herald report signals the Trump administration won’t be happy with any arrangement that leaves the Venezuelan leader in power.
Maduro’s government has also been cooperating on deportation flights from the US, but they have been suspended since Trump announced the closure of Venezuela’s airspace, a declaration that Caracas said was “a hostile, unilateral, and arbitrary act, incompatible with the most basic principles of International Law.”
Maduro has struck a defiant tone in the face of US pressure and continues to attend events with large crowds, signaling that he’s not afraid of being assassinated, and has been calling for peace. He has also vowed that Venezuela would fight against any US attack, and according to a report from Reuters, his government is preparing a Guerrilla-style resistance if the US invades.
According to recent media reports, options that Trump has been presented with for attacking Venezuela include bombing military sites, sending in a special operations force to kill or capture Maduro, or invading with a much larger force to seize airfields and oil fields.
Proponents of a regime change war in Venezuela have been pointing to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, the largest in the world, as a reason to invade. Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who recently won the Nobel Peace Prize and wants the US to attack her country, has claimed there would be a “$1.7 trillion opportunity” for private investors if Maduro is ousted.
This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.
