US steps up pressure on Maduro, declares his regime illegitimate at UN
US Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz (Photo: Getty Images)
The US intends to strengthen sanctions against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to the fullest extent to cut off financing for his regime. Washington also does not recognize Maduro and his allies as a legitimate government, states US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz during a Security Council meeting.
“The single most serious threat to this hemisphere, our very own neighborhood and the United States, is from transnational terrorist and criminal groups,” Waltz emphasized.
According to him, sanctioned oil tankers remain the main economic lifeline of Maduro’s regime and finance the Cartel de los Soles group, which the US recently designated as a foreign terrorist organization. Washington accuses Maduro of leading this group.
Waltz said that Maduro and his regime had rigged the elections and that the international community had evidence of this. He added that President Trump had made it clear that he intended to use all his power, all the might of the United States, to confront and eradicate the drug cartels, which had operated with impunity in the region for far too long and that everyone knew it.
Against this backdrop, the US has strengthened its military presence in the region and announced a blockade of sanctioned vessels. This month, the US Coast Guard intercepted two tankers carrying Venezuelan oil in the Caribbean Sea.
Russia and China oppose
Russia sharply criticized US actions. Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya stated that such a policy could become a template for future forceful actions against Latin American states. China, in turn, urged Washington to halt its actions and avoid further escalation.
Venezuela, supported by Moscow and Beijing, rejected the US arguments, stating that there is no war in the region and that the real threat comes from the actions of the American administration.
Tensions between Venezuela and the US
The US and Venezuela are in tense relations - US President Donald Trump accuses Caracas of seizing US assets.
This most likely refers to when the predecessor of Venezuela’s current president, Hugo Chávez, nationalized oil fields, forcing US and other Western companies by decree to hand over controlling stakes to Venezuela’s state-owned oil corporation.
Trump also accuses Venezuela’s current president, Nicolás Maduro, of encouraging drug trafficking, against which the US leader has been campaigning.
According to media reports, the real source of tension between the leaders may lie in a straightforward struggle for Venezuela’s oil reserves.
For several months, Trump has threatened Caracas with military conflict if Maduro does not leave the presidency. According to media sources, the US is already deploying special forces aircraft to the Caribbean basin.
