Venezuela's Maduro Accuses Marco Rubio Of Wanting To 'Stain Trump's Hands With Blood'

Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro accused Secretary of State Marco Rubio of wanting to "stain Donald Trump's hands with blood" with the deployment of U.S. warships and troops off the country's coast.

"This cannon diplomacy is erratic and wrong and has been imposed on Trump," Maduro claimed during a press conference on Monday.

"Mr. President, you need to look out because Marco Rubio wants to stain your hands with blood, with South American, Caribbean, Venezuelan blood. They want to take you to a bloodbath and have your name stained for centuries to come as a result of a terrible war against South America and the Caribbean," Maduro added.

Maduro claimed in another passage of the conference that the country is facing "its biggest threat in 100 years" as a result of the deployment. "Eight warships with 1,200 missiles and a nuclear submarine are pointed at Venezuela," he added.

Maduro went on to describe the current situation as an "extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely bloody threat." However, he claimed that his regime is fully prepared to face the U.S.'s "maximum military pressure."

Maduro has repeatedly claimed the country's forces are prepared to deal with the U.S., saying last week that "there is no way" Venezuela "will be breached."

"This situation we are facing, one of harassment, siege, illegal threats that violate the UN Charter, only makes us stronger," Maduro said back then. He went on to claim that the armed forces are seizing the circumstance to "strengthen the nation's defense plans" despite the "empire" wanting to take over the country's "riches."

Despite the rhetoric from Caracas and ambiguity in Washington D.C., the Colombian government claimed last Thursday that the Trump administration won't carry out a military intervention in the South American country.

Concretely, Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio said she reached the conclusion after speaking with U.S. officials, including ambassador John McNamara and U.S. lawmakers who recently visited the country.

"The press has created a narrative that is sowing confusion in the population. From the conversations we've had with the ambassador and U.S. lawmakers who visited the country over the past weeks we concluded there is no such intention," Villavicencio said.

Overall, the U.S. sent eight warships to the Caribbean and Pacific in the region, which the Washington Post described as a "significant buildup for a region that has rarely seen such a large presence of U.S. military vessels."

Three destroyers, two landing dock ships, an amphibious assault ship, a cruiser and a littoral combat ship are already in the region or on their way. All destroyers carry detachments of the U.S. Coast Guard and law enforcement officials. The Navy didn't say where the vessels will be operating.