President Trump is trying to “blackmail” the Venezuelan military into abandoning strongman Nicolas Maduro, a top Russian diplomat protested Tuesday.
“Blackmail as a means of returning ‘democracy’ to the Venezuelan people,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Tuesday in a dismissive review of the position the president outlined in a speech Monday in Miami.
Russia has remained one of Maduro’s chief partners throughout the economic and political crisis that’s led to food shortages and widespread protests. Trump, one of the first heads of state to recognize opposition lawmaker Juan Guaido as interim president in January, is trying to drive a wedge between Maduro and the military elites he relies upon for support.
“We seek a peaceful transition of power, but all options are open,” the president said Monday. “If you choose this path, you have the opportunity to help forge a safe and prosperous future for all the people of Venezuela. Or you can choose the second path: continuing to support Maduro. If you choose this path, you will find no safe harbor, no easy exit, and no way out. You will lose everything.”
Maduro reportedly has turned to Russian contractors to buttress his personal security against any prospective coup, while Cuban security services embedded in the Venezuelan government keep a watchful eye for potential traitors. Maduro has turned to all three of his international patrons — Russia, Cuba, and China — for humanitarian aid in an attempt to relieve the pressure on his regime.
“On Wednesday 300 tons of legitimate humanitarian aid will arrive from Russia,” Maduro said Monday, per Russian state-run media. “We paid for them.”
Meanwhile, Maduro has ordered the military to stop assistance provided by the United States from coming into the country.
“He would rather see his people starve than give them aid, than help them,” Trump said of Maduro before directing an appeal to the military leaders around him. “[Y]ou must not follow Maduro’s orders to block humanitarian aid, and you must not threaten any form of violence against peaceful protesters, opposition leaders, members of the National Assembly, or President Guaido and his family.”
