The United States is ready to support not only Venezuelans but also the citizens of Cuba and Nicaragua in their movement toward a "better political situation," US State Secretary Mike Pompeo said in an interview with the Telemundo broadcaster
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd February, 2019) The United States is ready to support not only Venezuelans but also the citizens of Cuba and Nicaragua in their movement toward a "better political situation," US State Secretary Mike Pompeo said in an interview with the Telemundo broadcaster.
"President Trump's administration has done so and will continue to do so not just in Venezuela but certainly Nicaragua and Cuba as well," Pompeo said, when asked if the administration of US President Donald Trump was going to help Cubans and Nicaraguans, who faced "regimes that are not democratic," like Washington supported Venezuelans.
Pompeo argued that the policies of the Trump administration were different from those of the previous administration of ex-President Barack Obama since the Trump administration recognized real risks to people and was taking steps to achieve good outcomes not only for people in Venezuela but for those living in Cuba and Nicaragua, too.
The state secretary continued by emphasizing that the peoples of the aforementioned Latin American countries needed to lead the movement toward political changes themselves, noting that Washington was ready to support them.
"I hope that each of those countries, that the citizens of those countries understand that the yoke of authoritarianism that has been foisted upon them is not necessary, that the corruption of those regimes is not necessary, that the bad behavior and difficult living conditions that those people find themselves in today is not necessary, that they can have a different life and that they'll contribute their efforts, their goodwill, and their humanity towards achieving a better political situation, both in Venezuela and Nicaragua and Cuba as well," Pompeo pointed out.
The transcript of the interview was published on the US State Department's website on Friday.
Venezuela currently faces a political and economic crisis. Amid the escalated tensions, the Venezuelan opposition is expecting to receive US humanitarian aid for Venezuela on Saturday.
US military aircraft have been used to bring the humanitarian cargo for Venezuela to the Colombian border city of Cucuta, where aid is being stockpiled. Moreover, the US Defense Department has told Sputnik that it was providing logistical support for the efforts to collect aid for Venezuela.
The Venezuelan government suggested that the US humanitarian aid was a part of Washington's plan to topple President Nicolas Maduro, while Moscow said it had information about Washington's plans to arm the Venezuelan opposition.
However, the US State Department refuted these claims, saying in a comment to Sputnik that any statements suggesting that the US shipments to Venezuela were anything other than humanitarian assistance for the Latin American country were preposterous.
The United Nations and international aid groups have called on the United States to not politicize humanitarian aid.
