“I would only meet with Maduro to discuss one thing, his peaceful departure from power” – President Donald Trump

President Donald Trump on Monday 22 of June 2020 said that an eventual meeting with Nicolás Maduro , would have as its sole objective to discuss an exit of the Chavista leader from power in Venezuela, after having expressed his willingness to meet face to face with the successor of Hugo Chávez .

The president stressed that he has always been “against socialism and with the people of Venezuela,” and that his government remains “on the side of freedom and against the oppressive Maduro regime.”

“ I would only meet with Maduro to discuss one thing: a peaceful departure from power! Trump wrote on her Twitter account.

In an article published by the Axios portal , the president did not rule out meeting the dictator. ” I could think about it … Maduro would like to meet. And I never object to meetings , “Trump said, according to the web.

“ I always say that very little is lost with meetings . But so far, I have rejected them, “he added, referring to a meeting with Maduro, accused by the Department of Justice of drug terrorism and with a reward of USD 15 million for information that would facilitate his capture.

The US president had previously stated the possibility of the meeting, but it was in statements made in 2018, before the US government turned all its support to Juan Guaidó, recognized as president-in-charge. Maduro traveled to New York for the UN general assembly in September of that year, although the appointment was not made.

In February, Trump honorably received Guaidó, who had attended the annual Capitol annual State of the Union address on the Capitol two days earlier, during which he received a standing ovation from both Republicans and from the Democrats. At the time, Trump promised to “crush” Maduro’s “tyranny”.

Since January 2019, the United States has led an international campaign to remove Maduro from power, whose re-election in May 2018 he considers fraudulent and to whom he attributes widespread corruption and serious human rights abuses, as well as the economic debacle of the former oil power.

But despite a battery of sanctions and a de facto embargo on crude exports, Maduro remains in power with the support of the military hierarchy and of Cuba, Russia and China.

(With information from AFP)