Trump and Pentagon chief to issue statement after meeting with intel officials
Photo: Donald Trump (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump will make a statement on December 22. He will be joined by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Navy Commander John Phelan, according to the White House schedule.
The subject of Trump's speech is not yet known. An hour before that, the US President will hear a closed briefing from intelligence.
Last week, it was reported that Donald Trump was going to announce the start of a military operation against Venezuela. Still, during his speech on December 18, the US President did not mention this country.
After expanding its military presence off the coast of Venezuela in September, the US has been striking ships that, according to the American side, are involved in drug trafficking.
Tensions between US and Venezuela
On December 16, the US President announced a complete blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuelan waters. Trump, in an attempt to cut off the Venezuelan regime's main source of income, is increasing pressure on the country's president, Nicolas Maduro.
Oil industry experts say that if Venezuela is unable to export oil, its storage tanks will fill up with unsold reserves, after which the state-owned company Petróleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) will have to start closing oil wells.
Yesterday, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth warned that the US would continue to detain tankers leaving Venezuela. He stressed that this would continue until the Maduro regime returned all American assets.
In addition to the blockade, Trump declared the Maduro government a foreign terrorist organization, accusing it of involvement in drug trafficking. He also said recently that he does not rule out a military campaign against Venezuela in the future.
