Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro warned on Friday that his country is prepared to “enter a stage of armed struggle” if subjected to foreign aggression, while stressing that Venezuela “has always been open to dialogue, but demands respect.”
In a televised address, Maduro dismissed attempts by US President Donald Trump’s administration to pursue regime change in Caracas, describing them as “a mistake.”
“No disagreement between Venezuela and the United States should lead to military conflict,” he said, calling on Washington to abandon what he described as reckless plans for intervention.
Maduro rejected Trump’s accusations that his government leads a “drug cartel,” stressing that Venezuela is free of cocaine cultivation and production. He likened US claims to the fabricated allegations of weapons of mass destruction used to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
