Trump denies plans for military action in Venezuela despite U.S. forces in the region
US President Donald Trump on Friday denied he was considering strikes inside Venezuela, appearing to contradict his own comments from last week and amid a large military presence in the Caribbean in recent months.
The United States’ military presence, which already includes fighter jets, warships, and thousands of troops, is set to expand significantly in the coming weeks with the arrival of the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group.
On Friday, when asked by reporters on Air Force One if media reports that he was considering strikes within Venezuela were true, Trump said: “No.”
It was not immediately clear if Trump was ruling out future strikes inside Venezuela or simply saying no final decision had been made yet.
In recent weeks, however, Trump has publicly said his administration will carry out strikes inside Venezuela.
“The land is going to be next,” Trump told reporters last week.
The U.S. campaign in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific has already targeted at least 14 boats that Washington claimed were involved in the illegal drug trade, killing 61 people. Trump has previously confirmed he has authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela.
While the exact timing of any land strikes is unclear, officials close to Trump had suggested it could be soon, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called for ending all military threats to reach peace and stability in Latin America.
“Latin America, the Caribbean nations, and the noble people of the United States can halt militarist threats in time and ensure respect for the right to peace, unity, and cooperation,” the Venezuelan leader said, addressing a meeting of Caribbean parliamentarians for peace, streamed by Venezolana de Television.
According to Maduro, what he described as false drug trafficking accusations against Venezuela are intended “to justify war and pursue regime change.”
In parallel, Republican and Democratic leaders of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee said on Friday the Trump administration had yet to provide details of its operations against drug cartels and their legal basis they had sought.
In a rare bipartisan action on the strikes, Republican Senator Roger Wicker and Democrat Jack Reed said in a statement they had not received information sought from the administration about its strategy to fight drug cartels.
Wicker and Reed said they requested “Execute Orders” related to the anti-drug trafficking operations in a September 23 letter. In another letter on October 6, they asked for any written opinion regarding the legal basis for the operations.
The lawmakers said they had not received the requested information by Friday.
