US President Trump said on Sunday that Venezuelan officials "would like to talk" as the United States' most advanced aircraft carrier, USS Gerald Ford, arrived in the Caribbean Sea amidst escalating tensions with Nicolás Maduro's government.
The USS Ford's presence marks a significant escalation of US military involvement in the region, with nearly a dozen Navy ships and over 12,000 sailors and Marines participating in "Operation Southern Spear." The operation aims to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland. So far, at least 22 separate missile strikes have been carried out on boats deemed to be smuggling drugs from Venezuela.
Trump's comments come just three days after Maduro made a plea for peace in an interview with CNN, calling for an end to "endless wars" and urging Trump to unite for the peace of the Americas. The President responded by saying that Maduro "would like to talk," but offered little further explanation.
The US military's Southern Command has been actively engaged in the operation, which began in September, resulting in the deaths of at least 86 people. The US is also increasing its presence in other countries on the northern coast of South America.
Venezuela's government has denounced the US military's missile strikes and accused Maduro of "fabricating" a war against him. His government has mobilized troops and civilians to defend against possible US attacks, which the US denies.
The US State Department has also taken action, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio announcing that Cartel de los Soles, a cartel allegedly led by Maduro, will be designated as a foreign terrorist organization on November 24. Trump has offered a $50 million reward for Maduro's capture.
Trump has justified the missile strikes by claiming that the US is in an "armed conflict" with drug cartels and that the victims aboard the boats are all "narcoterrorists." He has also hinted at expanding the strikes, including stopping drugs from coming in via land.
The USS Ford's presence marks a significant escalation of US military involvement in the region, with nearly a dozen Navy ships and over 12,000 sailors and Marines participating in "Operation Southern Spear." The operation aims to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland. So far, at least 22 separate missile strikes have been carried out on boats deemed to be smuggling drugs from Venezuela.
Trump's comments come just three days after Maduro made a plea for peace in an interview with CNN, calling for an end to "endless wars" and urging Trump to unite for the peace of the Americas. The President responded by saying that Maduro "would like to talk," but offered little further explanation.
The US military's Southern Command has been actively engaged in the operation, which began in September, resulting in the deaths of at least 86 people. The US is also increasing its presence in other countries on the northern coast of South America.
Venezuela's government has denounced the US military's missile strikes and accused Maduro of "fabricating" a war against him. His government has mobilized troops and civilians to defend against possible US attacks, which the US denies.
The US State Department has also taken action, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio announcing that Cartel de los Soles, a cartel allegedly led by Maduro, will be designated as a foreign terrorist organization on November 24. Trump has offered a $50 million reward for Maduro's capture.
Trump has justified the missile strikes by claiming that the US is in an "armed conflict" with drug cartels and that the victims aboard the boats are all "narcoterrorists." He has also hinted at expanding the strikes, including stopping drugs from coming in via land.
just saw this news about the USS Gerald Ford arriving in the Caribbean Sea... feels like things are getting pretty heated between the US and Venezuela 
22 people already lost their lives to missile strikes and there's a $50 million reward for Maduro's capture 
I don't know about the politics, but it seems like innocent people are getting caught in the middle... 
I mean, what's the ultimate goal here? We're basically creating more chaos and fueling Maduro's survival by attacking his own people. And that $50 million reward for his capture just means he'll get to live out the rest of his life on a luxury island somewhere. Meanwhile, we're getting nowhere fast on dismantling those Transnational Criminal Organizations... it's all just a PR stunt to make America look tough again 
. I mean, Trump is talking about Maduro wanting to talk, but it sounds like he's already decided what's gonna happen next. The US presence is escalating so fast, it's like they're playing a game of 'cat and mouse' with the Venezuelan government 
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. And now they want to designate Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist org? It feels like an excuse to just keep escalating violence 
. I hope someone can talk some sense into Trump and get this whole situation sorted out ASAP 
what's going on here tho?? like the US is just waltzing into Venezuela and starting a war? 86 people already dead and it's just gonna get worse? 
I don't get why the US can't just sit down and have a civilized conversation instead of resorting to violence. And Maduro's not even supposed to be in charge anymore... it's all so confusing 
The more I think about it, the less clear it seems... what do you guys think?
. I mean, think about it, we're basically just escalating tensions with Venezuela and Maduro's government even more. We're talking thousands of sailors and Marines showing up to the Caribbean Sea, that's just crazy talk! What are we really gonna do? Make some missiles rain down on boats? That's just a recipe for disaster 
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. Like, I get it, you're tryin to crack down on narco-terrorism and all that, but 22 missile strikes already? That's just crazy 
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. trump saying that maduro "would like to talk" but not really explaining what that means... seems kinda shady 
. and the fact that they're designating this cartel as a terrorist org is pretty bold 
. also why are we increasing our presence in other south america countries? feels like we're just setting up for more conflict 
... overall, this situation is super complicated and i'm not sure what to think 
. trump's response to Maduro's plea for peace is just laughable – it's like he expects a tweet response or something lol. meanwhile, the death toll keeps rising and we're still stuck on 'opération southern spear'... sounds more like a bad video game than an actual military operation 
And what's with all these "narcoterrorists" being killed? It sounds like an excuse for some serious overkill 
this feels like a lot of politics being played out with lots of people getting hurt... 86 dead is a big number, it's crazy how one person can cause so much pain and suffering for so many others. i wish they could just talk it out instead of resorting to violence