Newsweek :
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro called on his nation’s military leaders Tuesday to prepare for war against the U.S. days after the Trump administration banned Venezuelan officials from entering the nation.
“We have been shamelessly threatened by the most criminal empire that ever existed and we have the obligation to prepare ourselves to guarantee peace,” said Maduro, who wore a green uniform and a military hat as he spoke with his army top brass during a military exercise involving tanks and missiles. “We need to have rifles, missiles and well-oiled tanks at the ready….to defend every inch of the territory if needs be,” he added.
The Trump administration has taken a hard stance against Maduro’s regime by banning money lending to Venezuela’s government or its state oil company PDVSA, and passing sanctions against Maduro and his top officials.
Maduro referenced the sanctions during his speech at the military base. As he spoke, Russian military plans flew in the sky as part of the training exercise, Agence France-Presse reported.
“The future of humanity cannot be the world of illegal sanctions, of economic persecution,” Maduro said.
It’s unlikely Maduro has the manpower to stand up to the U.S., which has a much larger military. Maduro has maintained power in Venezuela despite mounting political and economic crises that has seen months of violent, anti-government demonstrations across the South American nation. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino has backed Maduro during the upheaval, but some critics have begun a whisper campaign suggesting that the military could break away and support a coup against the president, Herbert Garcia, a former senior army general and minister, told Reuters in August. There have been three attempted military coups in Venezuela since 1992.
Russia has defended Maduro in recent months, going so far as to accuse Trump of preparing for an invasion of Caracas. “We are strongly against unilateral sanctions against sovereign states,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in August. “We will carefully analyze the implications of the sanctions imposed by the United States, and their possible effect on the interests of Russia and Russian businesses. We can already say that they will not affect our willingness to expand and strengthen cooperation with the friendly nation of Venezuela and its people.”
President Donald Trump directed his penchant for insulting world leaders toward Venezuela during a United Nations speech earlier this month. He said Washington could intervene in Venezuela to help its citizens “recover their country”
“We cannot stand by and watch,” he said.
Maduro oversaw a disputed election earlier this year to muzzle the elected national assembly by creating “constituent assembly” in its place.
AFP adds: Maduro joined his army top brass at a military exercise near the northern city of Maracay, where he reminded them of their obligation to defend the country.
“We have been shamelessly threatened by the most criminal empire that ever existed and we have the obligation to prepare ourselves to guarantee peace,” said Maduro, wearing an olive green uniform and a military hat.
Maduro’s speech came two days after Trump signed a decree adding a raft of top Venezuelan officials to a travel ban encompassing eight countries that Washington says pose a security threat.
The US in August banned American financial institutions from lending new money to Venezuela’s government or its state oil company PDVSA. It has also imposed financial sanctions on Maduro and about 20 top officials.
Last week, Trump told the UN General Assembly that the US was ready to act to restore democracy to Venezuela, after months of deadly protests and economic chaos.
Maduro has tried to consolidate control, including through a new Constituent Assembly that has wrested power from the opposition-dominated legislature, a move heavily criticized by the international community.
Maduro said in his speech at the Libertador airbase that his government wanted prosperity for the nation “but to realize it we need to have rifles, missiles and well-oiled tanks at the ready….to defend every inch of the territory if needs be.”
“The future of humanity cannot be the world of illegal sanctions, of economic persecution,” he said in a reference to a US travel ban imposed on officials from a list of government agencies and their families.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro called on his nation’s military leaders Tuesday to prepare for war against the U.S. days after the Trump administration banned Venezuelan officials from entering the nation.
“We have been shamelessly threatened by the most criminal empire that ever existed and we have the obligation to prepare ourselves to guarantee peace,” said Maduro, who wore a green uniform and a military hat as he spoke with his army top brass during a military exercise involving tanks and missiles. “We need to have rifles, missiles and well-oiled tanks at the ready….to defend every inch of the territory if needs be,” he added.
The Trump administration has taken a hard stance against Maduro’s regime by banning money lending to Venezuela’s government or its state oil company PDVSA, and passing sanctions against Maduro and his top officials.
Maduro referenced the sanctions during his speech at the military base. As he spoke, Russian military plans flew in the sky as part of the training exercise, Agence France-Presse reported.
“The future of humanity cannot be the world of illegal sanctions, of economic persecution,” Maduro said.
It’s unlikely Maduro has the manpower to stand up to the U.S., which has a much larger military. Maduro has maintained power in Venezuela despite mounting political and economic crises that has seen months of violent, anti-government demonstrations across the South American nation. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino has backed Maduro during the upheaval, but some critics have begun a whisper campaign suggesting that the military could break away and support a coup against the president, Herbert Garcia, a former senior army general and minister, told Reuters in August. There have been three attempted military coups in Venezuela since 1992.
Russia has defended Maduro in recent months, going so far as to accuse Trump of preparing for an invasion of Caracas. “We are strongly against unilateral sanctions against sovereign states,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in August. “We will carefully analyze the implications of the sanctions imposed by the United States, and their possible effect on the interests of Russia and Russian businesses. We can already say that they will not affect our willingness to expand and strengthen cooperation with the friendly nation of Venezuela and its people.”
President Donald Trump directed his penchant for insulting world leaders toward Venezuela during a United Nations speech earlier this month. He said Washington could intervene in Venezuela to help its citizens “recover their country”
“We cannot stand by and watch,” he said.
Maduro oversaw a disputed election earlier this year to muzzle the elected national assembly by creating “constituent assembly” in its place.
AFP adds: Maduro joined his army top brass at a military exercise near the northern city of Maracay, where he reminded them of their obligation to defend the country.
“We have been shamelessly threatened by the most criminal empire that ever existed and we have the obligation to prepare ourselves to guarantee peace,” said Maduro, wearing an olive green uniform and a military hat.
Maduro’s speech came two days after Trump signed a decree adding a raft of top Venezuelan officials to a travel ban encompassing eight countries that Washington says pose a security threat.
The US in August banned American financial institutions from lending new money to Venezuela’s government or its state oil company PDVSA. It has also imposed financial sanctions on Maduro and about 20 top officials.
Last week, Trump told the UN General Assembly that the US was ready to act to restore democracy to Venezuela, after months of deadly protests and economic chaos.
Maduro has tried to consolidate control, including through a new Constituent Assembly that has wrested power from the opposition-dominated legislature, a move heavily criticized by the international community.
Maduro said in his speech at the Libertador airbase that his government wanted prosperity for the nation “but to realize it we need to have rifles, missiles and well-oiled tanks at the ready….to defend every inch of the territory if needs be.”
“The future of humanity cannot be the world of illegal sanctions, of economic persecution,” he said in a reference to a US travel ban imposed on officials from a list of government agencies and their families.
