The United States says that Nicolás Maduro was ready to leave Venezuela, but that Russia convinced him to stay

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that President Nicolás Maduro he was ready to leave Venezuela, but that Russia had convinced him to stay in power.

"He had a plane on the runway, he was ready to leave this morning and the Russians told him that he should stay"said Pompeo in an interview in which he even claimed that the president was planning to flee to Havana.

The secretary, former director of the CIA, refused to give the source of this information during a conversation with CNN, but said that the United States had interviewed "dozens and dozens of people on the ground" in addition to other documents.

The White House had badured that three top positions of the Venezuelan government (the Defense Minister, General Vladimir Padrino, the President of the Supreme Court of Justice, Maikel Moreno, and the commander of the presidential guard of honor, the General Iván Hernández) they were committed to "supporting the overthrow" of Maduroand even John Bolton – a national security adviser – said that President Chavez's departure from his post had been negotiated.

But – apparently – the support of China, Cuba and Russia led Maduro to reconsider its decision, who chose to stay at the head of the Venezuelan government.

For its part, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, threatened Cuba with a total embargo and sanctions he did not stop supporting the Chavez regime, while the island is already under a heavy sentence.

The situation in Venezuela

A group of Venezuelan soldiers revolted Tuesday against President Maduro and in favor of opposition Juan Guaidó, who called on all armed forces to join the movement that the government denounced as a coup d'etat.

Soldiers loyal to the Maduro government fired tear gas at Guaidó. There are at least 69 wounded and 25 arrested.

Guaidó, recognized as the interim president of Venezuela for half a hundred countries, said that the military forces "had taken the plunge" in supporting him as well as his plan to eliminate Maduro from power, which he said was the only way to go. he considers himself an illegitimate president.

After Guaidó's call, thousands of Venezuelans opposed to Maduro rallied in Caracas and other states in the interior of the countrysuch as Carabobo (center), Zulia (northwest) or Lara (west).

The President of the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) in power, Mr. Diosdado Cabello, He called on Chavez supporters to focus on the periphery of the presidential palace to "defend" the revolution against the "coup plan".

In the midst of the incidents in Caracas, The tanks of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) crushed a group of protesters from the opposition which were close to La Carlota air base. One of the victims was seriously injured and taken to Salud Chaco Hospital in the Venezuelan capital.

The military uprising in Venezuela that seeks to expel Maduro from the government was welcomed by leaders and leaders of international organizations and rejected by Bolivia and Turkey, historical allies of Chavez.