Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro warned that his country would respond with an “armed fight” if the United States launched a military strike, accusing Secretary of State Marco Rubio of trying to drag President Donald Trump into a Caribbean war that could damage his reputation.‘Watch out, Mr Trump’“Mr President, Donald Trump, watch out, because Mr Rubio wants to stain your hands with blood,” Maduro said during a rare news conference in Caracas, his first in more than a year. He described Venezuelans as “warriors” ready for “maximum rebellion” against any incursion, while also appealing to Trump’s stated desire to end wars rather than start them.Maduro even invoked the Nobel Peace Prize, alluding to Trump’s past interest in the award, warning that Rubio “wants the last name Trump to be stained with blood for centuries.”Rising tensions in the CaribbeanThe comments come amid a major US military buildup in the Caribbean. In late August, Washington deployed guided-missile destroyers and other warships with 4,500 sailors and 2,200 Marines near Venezuelan waters, officially to combat drug trafficking.Rubio has described Maduro’s government as a “narco-terror cartel” and said US forces were “truly on the offense” against cartels sending drugs north. But critics have questioned the scale of the buildup. Jimmy Story, a former US ambassador to Venezuela, compared the strategy to “using a blowtorch to cook an egg.”Channels of dialogueDespite fiery rhetoric, Maduro acknowledged ongoing backchannel contacts with Washington, one involving Richard Grenell, a special envoy, and another through John McNamara, the top US diplomat to Venezuela reporting to Rubio. While admitting relations are in “bad shape,” Maduro expressed hope they could be repaired, calling Trump “an intelligent, bold man. He’ll know what to do.”Possible falloutMaduro said the naval buildup represented “the greatest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years” and claimed US ships carried “1,200 missiles” targeting Venezuela. Still, he signaled he would not suspend deportation flights returning Venezuelans from the US, noting they were part of a “bilateral relationship that has gone well.”Meanwhile, Rubio visited US Southern Command in Florida on Friday to discuss security issues and is scheduled to travel this week to Mexico and Ecuador, trips the State Department says are meant to reinforce Washington’s commitment to countering narco-terrorism and securing borders. Go to Source
