President Donald Trump says Venezuela’s leader should consider stepping aside as U.S. naval operations intensify and Russia publicly backs Caracas ahead of a U.N. Security Council meeting.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump said Monday it would be “smart” for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to step down, as U.S. naval forces pressed a blockade aimed at Venezuela’s oil trade and Washington escalated military pressure in the Caribbean.
Asked by reporters at his Florida residence whether U.S. threats were intended to force Maduro from office after more than a decade in power, Trump said the decision was Maduro’s to make. “That’s up to him, what he wants to do. I think it would be smart for him to do that,” Trump said. He added a warning that further defiance would carry consequences: “If he wants to do something — if he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever able to play tough.”
Moscow, a key ally of Caracas, responded by reaffirming support for Maduro’s government, underscoring the widening international rift as Washington ramps up operations against Venezuela. The statement came ahead of a U.N. Security Council meeting requested by Venezuela to address what it describes as U.S. aggression.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said its foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, spoke by phone with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, and that both expressed “deep concern” over what they characterized as escalating U.S. actions in the Caribbean Sea. The ministry said those actions could threaten regional stability and international shipping, adding that Russia reaffirmed its “full support and solidarity” with Venezuela’s leadership and people.
The call took place as U.S. forces, acting under Trump’s orders, have since September carried out strikes on boats Washington says were involved in drug trafficking across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Families and governments in the region have said some of those killed were fishermen. U.S. officials have also confirmed the seizure of two oil tankers linked to Venezuela, with a third vessel under pursuit over the weekend.
Last week, Trump announced a blockade of what he described as “sanctioned oil vessels” traveling to and from Venezuela. He accused the Maduro government of using oil revenues to finance “drug terrorism, human trafficking, murder and kidnapping,” and said the United States wanted Venezuelan oil “back,” referencing the country’s nationalization of its petroleum sector.
Caracas has rejected those claims, accusing Washington of seeking regime change and labeling U.S. actions as acts of “international piracy.” Venezuela, backed by Russia and China, requested the Security Council meeting to address what it called ongoing U.S. aggression.
In messages posted online, Gil said the United States was carrying out “attacks on vessels, extrajudicial executions, and illicit acts of piracy” in the Caribbean, adding that Lavrov had pledged Moscow’s full support amid what Venezuela describes as hostilities.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed Russia’s backing of Caracas last week, saying Washington was not concerned about escalation with Moscow over Venezuela because Russia was preoccupied with the war in Ukraine.
Relations between Washington and Moscow have deteriorated further in recent weeks as Trump has voiced frustration with the lack of progress toward ending the conflict in Ukraine.
On Monday, Gil also read a letter from Maduro on state television addressed to U.N. member states, warning that the U.S. blockade would affect global oil and energy supplies. The letter urged countries to consider the broader economic consequences as tensions surrounding Venezuela’s oil exports continue to rise.
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