Are Maduro's days numbered? US Senator: Something's going to happen

Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott said in an interview on CBS that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro's days are “numbered” because “something is going to happen, internally or externally.” The politician advised the dictator to escape to Russia or China.

Scott commented on the overthrow of Venezuela's socialist leader on Sunday night's “60 Minutes” program on CBS, devoted to growing U.S. pressure on Caracas.

– If I were Maduro, I would go to Russia or China right now. His days are numbered. Something's going to happen. Whether it's something internal or external, I think something will happen,” said the Florida senator, who is one of the US president's close allies.

However, the politician said that despite the buildup of US troops in the region, he would be surprised if there was an American invasion of Venezuela.

– America will take care of the southern hemisphere (Venezuela is located in the northern hemisphere – PAP). And we will make sure that there is freedom and democracy there, he assured. He also announced that the fall of the Maduro regime would be associated with the fall of the regime in Cuba, which relies on supplies of subsidized oil from Venezuela.

Part of the CBS program was devoted to the situation in Venezuela in the face of further moves by the Trump administration against that country. On Friday, the Pentagon announced the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford and its accompanying warships to the region, previously stationed in the Adriatic Sea. A day earlier, US President Donald Trump announced strikes against drug cartels on land, in addition to previous strikes against boats suspected of carrying drugs, most of which came from Venezuela. Trump also previously announced a secret CIA operation inside the country.

Although Venezuela is not a major drug producer, it is an important part of the smuggling route. In 2020, Maduro was formally accused in a court in New York of co-leading a drug smuggling operation to the US together with the left-wing Colombian organization FARC. This year, the reward for information leading to the leader's capture was doubled from $25 million to $50 million. Still, the Trump administration has so far said it is not seeking regime change in Venezuela, even if, like the Biden administration, it does not consider Maduro the rightful leader because of stolen elections.

From Washington Oskar Górzyński (PAP)

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