President Donald Trump urged Maduro to relinquish power soon, threatening to escalate military actions against Venezuela if he doesn't leave Caracas, according to a new report.
Infobae detailed that the threat took place during the phone call the two had last week. There, the outlet added, Trump emphasized that Maduro must leave power along with top regime officials, likely including Diosdado Cabello, Jorge and Delcy Rodriguez and Vladimir Padrino Lopez.
Hours after the call, the administration officially designated the Cartel de los Soles, which the administration accuses Maduro and his top officials of leading, as a terrorist organization, paving the way for strikes inside Venezuela.
The White House also rejected that the conversation included a potential meeting, like The New York times had reported a day prior. And on Saturday, Trump said Venezuela's airspace should be considered "closed."
"To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Earlier on Friday, The Washington Post noted that Turkey has risen as a potential destination should an off-ramp be agreed on. The outlet noted that noted that Caracas and Ankara have friendly ties, exchanging cabinet-level visits in recent years, and have a dynamic trade relationship.
As a result, and considering that Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a good relationship with Trump, some in Washington D.C. are actively contemplating the possibility.
"At the end of day, what are realistic and acceptable outcomes? Obviously, people are thinking about it, working on it," a person familiar with administration deliberations told the outlet. The person said such a deal could come with guarantees. Namely, assurances that Maduro wouldn't be extradited to the U.S.
In contrast, another report from this week noted that Maduro is reluctant to agree to any deal to leave power because he doesn't believe he would get lasting amnesty.
The Wall Street Journal noted that Maduro only feels safe among loyalists, and both him and his inner circle believe the Trump administration is bluffing with its military campaign off the country's coast.
The only way to oust him, they claim, would be physically sending troops to Venezuela, something they consider unlikely. "The calculation for Maduro is that he will always be safer here than anywhere else," Phil Gunson, analyst for the International Crisis Group, told the outlet.
Moreover, staying in Venezuela under a new government could see them face prosecution for different crimes, including drug-trafficking, tacking kickbacks in the energy industry, and more. And the regime believes that a government led by opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who has won the Nobel Peace Prize, would be uncompromising. In a new "Freedom Manifesto," she said the regime "must be held accountable."
Another report claimed that U.S. officials also believe it would be hard to convince Maduro to leave, but because he could be executed by Cuban handlers.
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