This is reported by RBK-Ukraine with reference to Axios. According to Kontrakty.UA,
Trump's advisors stated that his team wishes for Maduro to follow the path of the recently ousted Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. They emphasize that a regime change does not necessarily imply military action.
"We wouldn't be opposed to having Maduro as a neighbor to Assad in Moscow," one source said.
The publication notes that Venezuela under Maduro has become a significant issue for Latin America and the United States. It accounts for the largest modern migration in the Western Hemisphere. Over the past decade, nearly 8 million people have fled from Maduro's regime.
Additionally, during his presidential campaign, Trump accused Maduro of deliberately sending criminal gangs to the U.S., such as Tren de Aragua.
On Wednesday, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who once became a target of an assassination attempt by a Venezuelan organization, stated that Venezuela, rich in oil and poor in cash, "is run by an organization involved in drug trafficking and has elevated itself to the status of a national state."
Meanwhile, Venezuela's closest ally, Cuba, remains America's oldest Latin American adversary.
It is known that during his first presidential term, Trump imposed sanctions against Venezuela. However, it is currently unclear how he intends to remove Maduro from office.
Trump's interest in regime change in Venezuela intensified after U.S. President Joe Biden decided on Tuesday to ease restrictions on Cuba. At the same time, Trump views the socialist regime of Cuba as the center of Latin America's problems.
Axios also reports that Trump's interest in Venezuela is part of a broader national security policy taking shape. His statements about purchasing Greenland, the threat to regain control over the Panama Canal due to China's presence there, and such tactics overall included assumptions regarding the annexation of Canada and the right invasion of Mexico.
At the end of last year, oil companies and investors launched a pressure campaign, attempting to establish relations between the U.S. and Venezuela. However, Trump showed no enthusiasm for reaching an agreement with Maduro.
"We don't need to buy energy from Venezuela when we have 55 times more than they do," the elected U.S. president said last month.
Furthermore, it is reported that this month Maduro threatened to invade U.S. territory in Puerto Rico. The island's Governor Jennifer Gonzalez-Colon requested Trump to respond, but he has not commented yet.
Maduro's Inauguration and Dishonest Elections
Recall that on Friday, January 10, Venezuela held the inauguration of Nicolás Maduro. On that day, he took the presidential oath, marking the beginning of his third term as head of state.
It is worth noting that the presidential elections in Venezuela took place on July 28, 2024. According to the voting results, the CEC declared Maduro the winner; however, the opposition conducted a parallel count, subsequently labeling the announced results as "fraudulent," declaring their candidate Edmundo Gonzalez the winner.
In turn, independent observers, such as the Carter Center and the Colombian Electoral Commission, as well as CNN's own count, support the opposition's claims.
Shortly after, a number of countries, including the U.S., recognized Gonzalez as the legitimately elected president of Venezuela, but he was forced to leave the country.