The US president has issued a threat of a second incursion in case the interim authorities decline to cooperate
It has been reported that US national security officials have dismissed the plans to deploy ground troops in Venezuela after the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro. These claims go against the earlier threats of further military action made by US President Donald Trump.
On Saturday, the US caused international indignation when its special forces carried out a raid in Caracas to capture Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. They were later indicted in New York on drug – trafficking charges and pleaded not guilty.
Caracas condemned the operation as an “imperialist attack,” while Trump justified it on security grounds, referring to the 19th – century Monroe Doctrine which regards Latin America as Washington’s sphere of influence. Trump later stated that he was prepared to deploy additional forces and “conduct a second strike” if interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez did not cooperate with Washington.
According to Politico and Stars and Stripes, citing those who attended the event, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed lawmakers at a closed – door Senate briefing on Wednesday that the White House has no plans to deploy ground troops.
However, they added that US naval forces – a dozen warships and approximately 15,000 personnel – will remain stationed around Venezuela for an indefinite period.
“We do not expect to have troops on the ground. That is not the administration’s goal, nor is it their anticipation,” House Speaker Mike Johnson was quoted as saying, describing the abduction of Maduro as a one – time operation.
The briefing took place amidst a series of aggressive proposals from Trump, which he claimed would safeguard the Western Hemisphere. After the Caracas raid, he renewed his calls to take over from Denmark and also threatened Mexico and Cuba with potential military action.
When speaking to reporters after the briefing, Hegseth avoided discussing further deployments in Venezuela but said that the US military would continue to exert “pressure,” pointing to the seizure of two oil tankers on Wednesday, one of which was under a blockade of Venezuelan oil exports.
The US Senate is scheduled to vote on Thursday on a bipartisan war powers resolution intended to prevent further military action against Venezuela without congressional approval, and similar measures are being prepared for Mexico, Colombia, Nigeria, and Greenland.