US gave Venezuela’s Maduro chance to leave country: senator

• Maduro was offered the chance to leave Venezuela for Russia or elsewhere amid heightened tensions with US
• Venezuelan president said he views the US military presence in the Caribbean as a precursor to regime change

WASHINGTON: The United States has offered Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro the chance to leave his country for Russia or elsewhere, a Republican senator said Sunday, amid heightened fears of imminent US military action.

President Donald Trump sharply escalated his threats against Venezuela by warning Saturday that the country’s airspace should be considered “closed,” while the US military maintains a significant presence in the region.

Though Trump has not publicly threatened to use force against Maduro, he said in recent days that efforts to halt Venezuelan drug trafficking “by land” would begin “very soon.” Maduro has said he views the US military presence in the Caribbean as a precursor to regime change.

“By the way, we gave Maduro an opportunity to leave. We said he could leave and go to Russia or he could go to another country,” Markwayne Mullin, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told CNN’s “State of the Union” talk show. When asked whether Trump was planning to attack Venezuela, the senator from Oklahoma said: “No, he’s made it very clear we’re not going to put troops into Venezuela. What we’re trying to do is protect our own shores.”

Since September, US air strikes have targeted alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing at least 83 people. Washington claims the leftist Maduro heads an alleged drug cartel.

Maduro “is an illegitimate leader who has been indicted for drug trafficking in US courts and maintains control of Venezuela by a reign of terror,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump supporter, said Saturday on X. “President Trump’s strong commitment to end this madness in Venezuela will save countless American lives and will give the beautiful people of Venezuela a new lease on life. I hear Turkiye and Iran are lovely this time of year...”

The steady US military buildup has seen the world’s largest aircraft carrier deployed to Caribbean waters, while American fighter jets and bombers have repeatedly flown off the Venezuelan coast in recent days. The New York Times reported Friday that Trump and Maduro had discussed a possible meeting, while The Wall Street Journal said Saturday that the conversation also included conditions of amnesty if Maduro were to step down.