Donald Trump’s Phone Call with Juan Guaidó, Venezuelan Opposition Leader

On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Juan Guaidó, the opposition leader in Venezuela, emphasizing his support for the "struggle to restore democracy" in Venezuela. The White House stated that Trump and Guaidó, the President of the National Assembly who is fighting to oust Nicolás Maduro's government, stressed the importance of maintaining ongoing communication. According to Reuters, this phone call came after the Venezuelan prosecutor's office moved to file charges against Guaidó, with the possibility of his arrest. The Venezuelan judiciary's actions against Guaidó, including travel bans and asset freezes, were in retaliation for the U.S. decision to sanction Venezuela's state oil company. These events have intensified the struggle for control in Venezuela, a member of OPEC with one of the largest oil reserves in the world. White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said Trump spoke with Guaidó "to congratulate him on his brave action in assuming the presidency and to reaffirm support for Venezuela's fight to restore democracy." Sanders added that Guaidó thanked Trump for the U.S. defense of freedom and prosperity in Venezuela and highlighted the importance of planned nationwide protests against Maduro's government on Wednesday and Thursday. They agreed on maintaining regular contact and supporting Venezuela's movement towards stability and the rebuilding of bilateral relations between the U.S. and Venezuela. Reuters further notes that Nicolás Maduro has previously accused Trump of ordering his assassination, claiming Trump has tasked Colombia with killing him. Both the U.S. and Colombian governments have strongly denied this accusation, and Maduro's opponents say he makes such claims whenever he is cornered. However, speculation about military action against Maduro's government has increased in recent days. John Bolton, U.S. National Security Advisor, had written in his notebook "5,000 troops to Colombia," and according to the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, General Mark Milley, commander of U.S. forces in South America, also traveled to Colombia on Wednesday. Meanwhile, on the same day, Russia, the main international supporter of the Venezuelan government, called for mediation, indicating a disagreement among global powers on how to address the Venezuelan crisis. Russia, which, like China, has lent billions of dollars to the Venezuelan government and invested in the country, urged Guaidó to abandon his call for early elections and instead accept mediation to resolve the crisis. However, given the failure of previous mediations, including those led by the Vatican, Venezuelan opposition members do not trust this policy and believe Maduro uses mediation to calm protests and buy time.