Venezuela is not seeking a military confrontation with the United States or any other regional actor, its Foreign Minister Yván Gil told CNN in a rare interview, as tensions rise with Washington, including over the recent deadly US Navy strike on a vessel allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean.
“We are not betting on conflict, nor do we want conflict,” Gil said during the interview from the Casa Amarilla, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry headquarters in Caracas, on Monday.
The relationship between the US and Venezuela has long been precarious. But it has become particularly fraught under the two administrations of President Donald Trump who has taken a hardline against his counterpart Nicolas Maduro, including recognizing the country’s opposition leader following a widely criticized election.
And on Tuesday 2 September the US carried out a lethal strike on a speedboat it said was carrying drugs in international waters and had departed from Venezuela, fueling suspicions in Caracas that Washington is trying to topple the regime of President Nicolas Maduro.
Maduro has since mobilized some 4.5 million militiamen to defend the country, in response to what he calls US “imperialism.”
Although he ruled out a military escalation of tensions, the Venezuelan foreign minister said his country is prepared to deter any possible threat.
