Venezuelan Defense Minister Warns Citizens To 'Prepare For The Worst' As Trump Admin Ramps Up Pressure

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said citizens should "prepare for the worst" as the Trump administration ramps up pressure against the regime, seeking the ouster of authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro.

According to Infobae, the regime said it started conducting military drills and training civilians for combat. In this context, Padrino Lopez said Venezuelan should "prepare for the worst," calling the pressure from the Trump administration a "serious threat."

In this context, Maduro again pleaded for peace with the U.S. "We don't want war in the Caribbean and South America," Maduro said during a televised message. He then changed to English, saying: "Not war, yes peace. With the people of the United States. Please, please, please. Listen to me. From the people of the Bolivarian Republic."

However, the Trump administration continues to escalate pressure, reportedly seeking to convince Maduro that leaving power will be more costly than staying.

Citing "well-connected business people" inside the country, the Financial Times detailed that, as a result, Venezuelan leaders are increasingly paranoid and concerned about their personal safety.

The outlet noted that regime figures have changed their mobile phones, are sleeping in different cities every night and have changed their Cuban bodyguards for a new batch from Havana.

Moreover, the Washington Post reported last week that a Special Operations aviation unit has flown less than a 100 miles from Venezuela, yet another message to Caracas.

A U.S. official said the helicopters were conducting training flights and should not be taken as evidence of drills for a land assault into Venezuela.

However, report came a day after President Donald Trump confirmed he authorized the CIA to conduct lethal operations inside Venezuela, with officials telling The New York Times that the ultimate goal is removing authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro from power.

Moreover, the Miami Herald reported on Thursday that the Trump administration rejected an offer by the Venezuelan regime to oust Maduro and undergo a transition.

On Friday, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz claimedthat the Trump administration's pressure campaign is "consistent with the law of armed conflict and Article 51 of the UN Charter."

Waltz said in a social media publication that Venezuela's authoritarian government "is whining at the UN because President Trump is hitting back HARD against the cartels and traffickers driving the deadly flow of drugs into our country."

"Maduro—a fugitive and cartel boss—has fueled this crisis for years. Not anymore. The U.S. is exercising its inherent right of self-defense, as directed by the President, to defend the American people consistent with the law of armed conflict and Article 51 of the UN Charter," Waltz added.