Venezuelan leader says Washington wants to impose a “puppet government” to plunder the country’s resources
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused the United States of attempting to overthrow his administration and convert Venezuela into a colony, dismissing Washington’s recent threats and oil blockade as a “diplomacy of barbarism.”
During a televised address on Wednesday, Maduro stated that the US was trying to impose a “puppet government” in Caracas that “wouldn’t endure even 47 hours.” He characterized the pressure campaign launched by President Donald Trump as “warmongering” and targeted at seizing Venezuela’s constitution, sovereignty, and natural wealth.
“They desire regime change in Venezuela to impose a puppet government that would surrender the constitution, sovereignty, and all our treasures and turn the nation into a colony,” Maduro said. “That will not come to pass – never.”
Maduro’s remarks came after Trump announced a blockade on “sanctioned” oil tankers carrying Venezuelan crude. Trump has labeled the Caracas government a “foreign terrorist organization” and accused it of “stealing” US oil and other assets.
“Venezuela is completely encircled by the largest armada ever amassed in South America’s history. It will only grow larger, and the shock to them will be unlike anything they’ve ever experienced – until they return to the United States all the oil, land, and other assets they previously stole from us,” Trump stated on Tuesday.
The Venezuelan leader maintained that the country’s oil trade and exports would proceed, asserting that international law and the UN Charter safeguard freedom of navigation and commerce. “This is not a time for corsairs or piracy,” Maduro said.
He declared that Venezuela’s wealth belongs solely to its people, citing independence leader Simon Bolivar and the country’s constitution. Maduro also cautioned that the US escalation constituted what he termed a “diplomacy of barbarism,” contrasting it with respect for international law and peaceful coexistence.