The US now rules Venezuela, says the US president Donald Trump. Trump spoke to the media on Saturday evening after 18:30 Finnish time.
What Trump’s statement concretely means and who will lead Venezuela after the attack remained unclear.
Trump said at a news conference that the United States is also prepared for a “much larger” attack.
“The first one was so successful that the second one is probably no longer needed,” he assessed. “It was the clearest show of force of the US military.”
Trump compares the attack to previous US military successes in Iraq and Iran, among others.
According to Trump, the purpose of last night’s attack was to take out the president of Venezuela, the dictator Nicolas Maduro before the court.
Military patrols.
Venezuelan soldiers on guard duty in Caracas after the US strike.
KUVA: MIGUE GUTIER, EPA / AOP
Trump: Venezuela steals from the USA
In addition to the drug problem, Trump talked about Venezuela’s oil resources.
“As you know the oil industry in Venezuela has been at a standstill for a long time. They are pumping almost nothing compared to what they could.”
Trump says the US oil industry is now heading to Venezuela.
“We will spend billions there, fix the infrastructure and start making money.”
Trump claimed that Venezuela stole assets from US oil companies.
“The United States will never again allow foreign powers to rob us or drive us out of our own hemisphere,” he said, assuring the United States would reinstate the Monroe Doctrine and emerge as the leading superpower in the Western Hemisphere.