Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro responsed to escalating US pressure, telling thousands of supporters in Caracas that the country “does not want a slave’s peace” as tensions with Washington deepen. Addressing marchers after weeks of rising military activity by the United States, Maduro accused Washington of “testing” Venezuela with a naval deployment that has now entered its 22nd week and warned that the country would resist any attempt to impose political change by force.Also read: Trump delivers blunt ultimatum to Maduro on call“We want peace, but peace with sovereignty, equality, freedom! We do not want a slave’s peace, nor the peace of colonies!” he told the crowd, before swearing “absolute loyalty” to the Venezuelan people. His comments came amid reports that Donald Trump had issued a blunt ultimatum during a rare phone call last month, demanding that Maduro step down immediately in exchange for safe passage out of the country.
Trump’s ultimatum and mounting military pressure
Sources told the Miami Hearld that during the call Trump had pressed Maduro to leave “right away”, offering guarantees for his family only if he resigned on the spot. Maduro reportedly refused and instead put forward counter-demands, including global amnesty and the ability to retain control of the armed forces even if he ceded political power. According to the Miami Herald, there has been no further communication since, despite Maduro’s attempt to secure a second call after Trump declared Venezuelan airspace “closed in its entirety”.The White House has neither confirmed nor denied the ultimatum reports, but Trump has intensified military pressure. A vast US naval build-up in the Caribbean is ongoing, airspace warnings have been issued, and suspected drug-carrying boats have been struck in a series of lethal operations that have drawn bipartisan scrutiny in Washington. More than 80 people have been killed in these strikes, which the US claims target narcotics networks linked to Maduro’s government.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Trump would meet national security officials to discuss Venezuela but did not rule out ground options, saying only that “there’s options at the president’s disposal that are on the table”.
Caracas accuses Washington of seeking regime change
Maduro’s government insists the US deployment is part of a broader campaign to remove him from power and seize control of Venezuela’s oil reserves. In a letter to OPEC, he accused Washington of attempting to “appropriate Venezuela’s vast oil reserves – the largest on the planet – through the lethal use of military force”.Venezuela’s National Assembly has now announced its own investigation into the US strikes after acknowledging, for the first time, that Venezuelan citizens have been killed. Meanwhile, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has offered Cartagena as a venue for new political talks, though neither Caracas nor Washington has responded.
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