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The congresswoman María Elvira Salazar stated in an interview with FOX that President Donald Trump has shown "great political courage" in his offensive against the regime of Nicolás Maduro.
The Cuban-American politician asserted that Venezuelans are waiting for Americans to come and help them "regain their freedom and rid themselves of drugs and everything that Maduro has brought them in the last five years."
Her statements came at a time of heightened tension between Washington and Caracas, characterized by the closure of the airspace over Venezuela ordered by Trump and reports of increased military and diplomatic pressure from the United States in the region.
In the conversation with the media, Salazar stated that after the phone call between Trump and Maduro, the U.S. president "was kind and offered him a way out."
However, he said that Maduro is receiving "instructions from the Cubans to ensure he doesn't leave," because his greatest fear is that the Cubans, who are the ones truly in control in Venezuela, "will kill him" before he relinquishes power.
The congresswoman emphasized that Cubans have been directing the repressive apparatus in Venezuela for 25 years and exert a decisive influence on the longevity of the Chavista leader.
"This is a historic moment for the Trump administration," Salazar emphasized, noting that the president's actions have freed the continent from China, Iran, Russia, and drug traffickers.
"This will send a very clear message to other countries, and we will avoid many problems in the future thanks to this measure being taken right now. So I applaud President Trump for doing it," he concluded.
Closure of airspace and escalation of pressure
Salazar's words are known in the context of extraordinary decisions from the White House: President Trump announced the complete closure of the airspace over and around Venezuela.
The order was interpreted by analysts as a measure of maximum pressure - and a direct warning - to both civil aviation and potential illegal operations related to drug trafficking and human smuggling.
That airspace closure is part of a broader package of measures from Washington that, according to reports cited by international media, includes an increased U.S. naval and air presence in the Caribbean and actions aimed at isolating the Chavista regime.
Journalistic sources have also reconstructed a telephone conversation between Trump and Maduro in which, according to these reports, the U.S. president demanded the immediate departure of the Venezuelan dictator and key figures from his inner circle.
Hours after the leak about the call, the State Department designated the so-called Cartel of the Suns as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, a classification that expands Washington's legal and financial tools against the chavista leadership and effectively increases pressure on the Caracas government.
Regional risks and consequences
The air closure and the buildup of forces have raised alarms: analysts warn that this measure could precede more drastic actions, including blockades or military maneuvers, and that the impact would not only be political but also logistical, affecting trade routes and air connections in the Caribbean and northern South America.
Caracas, for its part, has reacted with warnings and public mobilizations; following the news about the conversation with Trump, Nicolás Maduro called for a military march and stated that if they are attacked, "we will respond with all the power of the nation."
Tension is mounting as various international sources - cited by the press - report on deployments and preparations by the Pentagon in the region, as well as an increase in activities by intelligence agencies, in what some describe as a dual-track strategy: military pressure accompanied by diplomatic and punitive operations.
María Elvira's statements encapsulate the viewpoint of a more belligerent sector of the anti-Chavista movement in the United States: that Maduro's ousting can only be achieved through a firm approach that combines sanctions, isolation, and, if necessary, forceful measures to sever the support still sustaining the regime.
With the closure of airspace and the designation of the Cartel of the Suns, the crisis between Washington and Caracas enters a phase of maximum pressure.
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