Nicolas Maduro Venezuela’s President reached out through Twitter to President Trump on Monday asking him to start a dialogue between Venezuela and the US.
“@RealDonaldTrump campaigned pledging to promote non-interference in the domestic affairs of other countries. It’s time to keep your pledge,” Maduro wrote, imploring Trump to hold a meeting in Washington or Caracas.
Maduro and senior government officials, including Attorney General Tarek William Saab, have claimed that the US is planning an alleged plan for a “military invasion” of Venezuela from neighbouring Colombia.
“The military bombing, the military invasion, the blood and fire occupation of a peaceful country like Venezuela are being planned,” Saab stated last week, Colombia has denied the allegation.
Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson raised the idea of putting sanctions on Venezuela’s oil exports, On a recent tour of Latin America.
Tillerson met in Bogota with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.
The United States has already imposed financial sanctions on Venezuela, forbidding its citizens and companies to negotiate debt issued by the Maduro government and the state oil company PDVSA.
Maduro has declared that he will travel to Lima in April whilst Trump while be there for the Summit of the Americas.
The Peruvian government, however, has announced that it will not allow Maduro to attend, on the grounds that he has broken with his country’s democratic institutional order.