U.S. President Donald Trump has not ruled out the possibility of war with Venezuela, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio promised on Friday to implement a blockade of the country's oil resources, LETA reports citing AFP.
In an interview with NBC News, when asked about war with Venezuela, Trump replied: "I don’t rule that out, no."
Trump declined to say whether he wants to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro, whom he previously stated in an interview that his "days are numbered."
"He knows exactly what I want," Trump said. "He knows it better than anyone else."
On Friday, Rubio repeatedly answered questions about Venezuela at a press conference at the State Department, but he refused to directly say whether the U.S. is seeking to overthrow Maduro, while promising to continue the pressure.
"It is clear that the current 'status quo' in relations with the Venezuelan regime is unacceptable for the United States," Rubio stated.
"So yes, our goal is to change that dynamic, and that is why the president is doing what he is doing," he added.
For several months, the U.S. has been increasing its military presence in the Caribbean Sea, explaining this as a goal to combat drug trafficking in Latin America. Venezuela considers this operation a pressure campaign aimed at overthrowing the leftist president of the country, Nicolás Maduro, whom the U.S. and many other countries do not recognize as a legitimate president.
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