Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez says there are “no foreign agents” running the country following the abduction of Nicolas Maduro by US forces.
Rodriguez, who served as Maduro’s vice president before his abduction, spoke at a televised event on Tuesday, a day after Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy charges in a New York court.
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“The government of Venezuela is in charge of our country and no one else. There is no foreign agent governing Venezuela,” Rodriguez said.
“Military operations without a declaration of war or a UN Security Council resolution amount to an illegal act of armed aggression with the nature of terrorism,” Tarek William Saab said.
Venezuela on Tuesday released a list of 24 soldiers killed in the pre-dawn attack, and Cuba also said 32 military personnel were killed.ロドリゲス氏は戦死した軍人を追悼するため７日間の服喪期間を宣言した。
Since detaining President Maduro from his residence, the administration of US President Donald Trump has provided little clarity about its future plans for Venezuela.
President Trump said Saturday that the United States would “execute” Venezuela, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio retracted that statement the next day.
The top diplomat said instead that U.S. officials would guide the “direction” of how the country is run and use sanctions and an ongoing embargo to force greater access to Venezuela’s oil industry.
But several lawmakers said the administration had shown little insight into its justification for carrying out the strike without first seeking parliamentary approval, much less a plan for Venezuela’s future.
“This briefing was very extensive and very long, but it raised more questions than we’ve ever answered,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said later.
On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican and ally of President Trump, said the coming days would reveal Venezuela’s “government structure and how willing it is to work with the United States.”
In a social media post, Thun described Rodriguez as “a down-to-earth person, a down-to-earth person” who “will understand the importance of finding a path forward that allows Venezuela to prioritize U.S. national security priorities.”
Meanwhile, President Trump revealed few new details about the operation during his retreat with Republicans on Tuesday, other than praising the abduction as an “amazing military feat” and “tactically brilliant.”
Soto added that government-aligned militias have been working with the military in recent days to maintain security and crack down on potential dissidents.
“They were working with security forces yesterday,” she said.
Villavicencio said he wanted to reassure the Trump administration “about everything we’re doing in the fight against drug trafficking.”
Greenland and Denmark also called for a quick meeting with Mr. Rubio on Tuesday to “discuss important U.S. statements,” Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt wrote on social media.
Trump aide Stephen Miller later said the United States has the right to occupy sovereign territory if it determines such a move is in the national interest.
The White House reiterated Tuesday that it is considering options to occupy Greenland, adding that “the use of U.S. forces is always an option.”
“Greenland belongs to its people. Denmark and Greenland, and they alone, decide matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” the statement said.
