WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th December, 2019) President Donald Trump is losing confidence that the Venezuelan opposition leader backed by the United States can oust the regime of President Nicolas Maduro and is considering more aggressive strategies that include a possible partnership with Russia to resolve the nation's crisis, Bloomberg reported on Friday.
Vice President Mike Pence led a meeting on Thursday with other senior officials to re-examine the White House's yearlong push for a democratic transition in the South American nation, according to four anonymous sources quoted by Bloomberg.
While no military option is on the table, White House officials discussed several new approaches, including an attempt to partner with Russia, a Maduro ally, to ease out the Venezuelan leader, the report said.
Other options include raising pressure on Cuba, Maduro's main sponsor, and a crackdown on India's imports of Venezuelan oil, a financial lifeline for the Maduro regime.
The discussions come a year after Trump aggressively backed self-declared interim President Juan Guaido, on recommendations from former National Security Adviser John Bolton. Bolton assured the president that a regime change could be quickly accomplished, but Trump is reportedly frustrated that Maduro hasn't been replaced.
The nation - despite controlling the world's largest proven oil reserves - suffers from chronic shortages of food and medicine, hyperinflation and an overall economic collapse that has driven 4 million refugees into exile in neighboring countries.
Maduro has accused Guaido of being a US puppet, working with Washington to orchestrate a coup so that the United States can control Venezuela's natural resources.
