Published On 1/12/2025
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Last update: 14:55 (Mecca time)
Washington- Amid an unprecedented escalation, the mobilization of an American naval and air force, and the announcement of the closure of airspace over Venezuela, US President Donald Trump revealed that he spoke by phone with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro, but he did not mention any details about what was discussed during this conversation and the impact of this conversation on the escalating atmosphere between the two countries.
Trump said during his return from the vacation he spent in Florida regarding his conversation with President Maduro: “I do not want to comment on the matter, but the answer is yes,” following the publication of several reports a few days ago confirming a call between the American and Venezuelan presidents, amid an escalation that led the Trump administration to launch dozens of attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
Trump tweeted on his platform, Truth Social, and said, “To all airlines, pilots, drug traffickers, and human smugglers, take into consideration that the airspace over Venezuela and its surroundings will be completely closed.” This prompted some commentators to suggest that air attacks on targets inside Venezuelan territory will likely be imminent.
Trump’s position came to support his swing in dealing with Venezuela. In his conversation with the “60 Minutes” program broadcast by CBS at the beginning of last November, President Trump confirmed that the days of Venezuelan President Maduro are numbered, but he “doubts” that the United States will go to war with Venezuela.
Swinging crescendo
Venezuela responded angrily to Trump’s statement, and its Foreign Ministry described the statements as “another exaggerated, illegal, and unjustified aggression against the Venezuelan people,” adding that “the United States does not have the legal authority to close the airspace of another country.” The Venezuelan statement accused Trump of making a “colonial threat.”
This prompted Fulton Armstrong, a professor at American University in Washington, who worked for the CIA in several countries in Latin America, to say that the Trump and Venezuela crisis was created by President Trump himself, and reflects chaos and the absence of a clear vision for dealing with it.
In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, expert Armstrong said, “The Trump administration believes that its ambiguity and contradiction in its positions gives it an advantage. Therefore, while it leaks news about a phone call between Trump and President Maduro, it also announces the closure of Venezuelan airspace, meaning that it is trying to appear as seeking a diplomatic solution, while at the same time creating a crisis and tensions.”
Strikes or a negotiated exit for Maduro?
Adam Isaacson, director of the Defense Oversight Program at the WOLA Foundation, which is concerned with Latin American affairs, said in his interview with Al Jazeera Net that “this threat is another half step on the path of gradually escalating military pressure.”
“Trump has begun – adds Isaacson – “deploying large warships, striking ships in international waters, declaring covert CIA operations, and prompting speculation about striking targets inside Venezuelan territory. This appears to be paving the way for a full invasion with ground forces to change the regime.”
However, Isaacson is unlikely to go that far, because launching ground strikes on targets inside Venezuela is a milestone and is not welcome even among Latin American governments that disagree with Maduro. It is logical for Trump to follow a hardening path, while at the same time hinting at a negotiated way out for Maduro.
In turn, Armstrong considered that “Trump mistakenly realizes that his hard-line strategy with drug traffickers and Maduro may push military officers to suddenly rise up against their government.” He believed that Trump’s call to Maduro was a victory for the Venezuelan president.
Desperate move
The Venezuelan army conducted exercises along the coastal areas, on the same day that Trump announced the closure of airspace, and state television showed maneuvers with anti-aircraft weapons and artillery pieces.
Washington recently deployed the largest aircraft carrier in the world, the USS Gerald Ford, a number of military naval vessels, and nearly 15,000 soldiers close to Venezuela.
The Trump administration also classified the “Cartel de los Solis” (Cartel of the Suns) as a terrorist organization, and claimed that President Maduro runs this cartel.
Some commentators believe that Trump’s decision to close Venezuelan airspace is a desperate step to give a chance to a military coup scenario, but at the same time he has put himself in an embarrassing position and fears that he will be accused of launching another military attack.
Armstrong considered that “Trump always decides to launch some kind of military attack, relying on advanced American technology. But the history of American military interventions in Latin America indicates that he will be deeply mistaken after he wakes up from the euphoria of the sudden and powerful first strikes.”
In the same context, expert Isaacson concluded his speech by saying, “Anything that includes a major attack by American ground forces will be unwelcome at home. The fact that they are hesitating a little before ground strikes indicates that this administration is not eager to go beyond that very large step.”