Trump presses Putin for a peaceful transition to Venezuela

WASHINGTON.- The call lasted more than an hour and Venezuela has stood out across the gamut of problems. A few days after the failure of the Libertad operation, deployed by the opposition to remove the regime from power

Nicolás Maduro,

the president of the United States,

Donald Trump,

He discussed the crisis directly with his Russian counterpart,

Vladimir Poutine,

after Washington accused the Kremlin of supporting Maduro's iron fist resistance.

Trump said it was "a very good conversation" and that Putin did not want to get involved "at all" with the Caribbean nation.

In the midst of escalation and the latent possibility of military intervention, Trump, according to his spokesman, insisted on the need for a "peaceful transition."

"[Putin] he does not try to get involved in Venezuela, other than that, he would like something positive to happen in Venezuela. I feel the same thing We want to send humanitarian aid right now, "Trump told reporters, in the oval room of the White House, at the end of a phone call with the head of the Kremlin.

The communication took place at the end of a very difficult week in Venezuela, during which the United States accused Russia of preventing Maduro from leaving power, and the chavist regime has Deployed a brutal crackdown in the streets of the country to quell what he called a coup d'etat. of the State "headed by the president in charge, Juan Guaidó.

Trump's statements contrasted with his government's strong refusal to firmly support Moscow in Caracas and Putin in Maduro, a link that has opened another tension front between the United States and Russia.

In addition, they rekindled the accusations and suspicions hanging over the president because of his connection with the Kremlin leader. Trump said he spoke about the "Russian farce" with Putin, evoking the scandal of Moscow's interference in the 2016 presidential election. When a reporter asked him if he was forbidden to meddle in the US elections, Trump replied, "No we are discussing it."

Putin said that an intrusion into Venezuela's internal affairs and attempts "to change power by force in Caracas undermine the prospects of a political recomposition of the crisis" and that only "Venezuelans have the right to determine the future of their crisis ". country, "according to the Kremlin.

Russia, China and Cuba are the main international shields of the Maduro regime. The Trump government has repeatedly criticized this support, saying it allows Chavismo to stay in power and impedes the transition to democracy.

In Venezuela, there are about 20,000 Cubans, according to the White House and Venezuelan opposition, who would operate to protect Maduro and meet Havana. The Cuban government denies it.

At the end of March, Russia sent an Antonov 124 with hundreds of Russian servicemen. National Security Advisor John Bolton called the move "provocative".

"Russia has to leave," Trump said at the time, receiving Guaidó's wife at the White House, Fabiana Rosales.

On Wednesday, while it was already clear that Guaidó's unsuccessful attempt to get Maduro out of the Miraflores Palace, the White House reiterated in a statement that Russia should leave Venezuela and stop supporting the Chavez regime .

Relationships

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo then reiterated this message in an appeal to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The State Department said that Pompeo "stressed that the intervention of Russia and Cuba is destabilizing for Venezuela" and for relations between Washington and Moscow.

A day earlier, Pompeo had declared that Maduro had a plane ready to leave Venezuela to go to Cuba, but that "the Russians have indicated that he should stay". But the Kremlin has insisted on its position: to accuse the Trump government of interfering in the affairs of another sovereign state and to warn of the "dramatic consequences" that "the continuation of aggressive measures" will have on the part of the opposition led by Guaidó.

Yesterday, almost on par with Trump's statements in the oval hall, Bolton reiterated once again that Russia and Cuba were no longer interfering with Venezuela's future.

"Only the Venezuelan people can determine the future of Venezuela," tweeted Bolton. "Maduro only goes to power with the support of Russia and Cuba, the only foreign military forces in Venezuela, without foreign interference, the democratic process in Venezuela is under way," he added.

But Trump seemed to offer another tone and another reading. In addition to Venezuela and the Russiagate scandal and the investigation of the special prosecutor Robert Mueller, Trump said he also discussed with Putin the situation in North Korea, Ukraine and control of nuclear weapons.

In Washington, some saw in Trump's statements a new warning to Maduro, suggesting that the long talk with Putin might actually reflect the fact that Moscow and Washington are moving towards a solution to the problem . crisis.

Presidential spokeswoman Sarah Sanders reiterated Washington's traditional threat to Maduro: "All options are on the table".

Yesterday, Pompeo, Bolton and Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan held a meeting at the Pentagon to discuss the Venezuelan crisis and various military options, according to local media reports.