Bolton hints Trump may send troops to Maduro’s neighbour

Bloomberg

Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro may wonder whether President Donald Trump is trying to rattle him.
On Monday, White House National Security Adviser John Bolton entered a press briefing on new Venezuela sanctions with a yellow legal pad, accidentally — or not —turned to face gathered reporters and photographers. On the pad appeared a hand-written note: “Afghanistan —welcome the talks. 5,000 troops to Colombia.”
Photos of the note rocketed around Twitter, causing a stir. National Security Council representatives didn’t respond to questions about whether the US is planning to deploy the military to Colombia, which, of course, borders Venezuela, or otherwise explain Bolton’s note.
One official, who was granted anonymity to discuss the matter, pointed out that Trump hasn’t taken any option off the table with regard to Maduro’s regime.
Last week, Trump recognized the Venezuelan National Assembly Leader Juan Guaido as the country’s interim president, and on Monday the US effectively prohibited Maduro from selling oil in the US, cutting off a major source of cash for his government. Maduro, in turn, has broken diplomatic relations with the US and ordered American diplomats out of the country.
Caracol Radio in Colombia reported on Monday that Major General Mark Stammer, commander of the US Army South, would soon arrive in Colombia to coordinate with allies.
Secretary of State Michael Pompeo directed most of his agency’s personnel to leave Venezuela, but the US Embassy in Caracas will remain in operation with a skeleton staff. A US military force in Colombia would be well positioned to respond if Maduro attempts to forcibly evict the remaining American diplomatic presence, or if he arrests or otherwise takes action against Guard.

Russia vows full support for Maduro government
Russia and its allies will “do everything” to support the legitimate government of President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela against US efforts to oust it by illegal means, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
“Together with other responsible members of the international community, we will do everything to support the legitimate government of President Maduro to defend the Venezuela constitution and the methods of resolving the crisis that are within the constitutional framework,” Lavrov told a news briefing in Moscow on Tuesday.
He didn’t elaborate on specific steps, saying only that Russia supported international efforts to mediate in the conflict. He denounced the US for what he called “illegal” attempts to remove the regime. Washington, he said, is putting pressure on the opposition to refuse concessions in discussions with the government.
Lavrov also called US sanctions on Venezuela illegitimate and blasted hints from Washington of possible troop deployments to the region.
Russia is interested in European Union suggestions to create a “contact group” of involved nations to help resolve the conflict but Lavrov said Moscow is still seeking details on the idea.
Speaking on a conference call, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia will defend its interests in Venezuela “within the framework of international law, using all available mechanisms.”