Argentina’s President Backs Trump’s Stance on Venezuela

In a recent interview with the UK Telegraph, Argentina’s President Javier Millay expressed strong admiration for US President Donald Trump. He addressed Trump as a peacemaker and a decisive leader.

Millay conveyed his support for U.S. military actions against the drug trafficking operations under the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. He even suggested that the downfall of both the Maduro regime and its allies in Cuba would ultimately benefit humanity.

Trump has initiated significant military operations targeting drug traffickers associated with Maduro. This includes Operation Southern Spear, aimed at intercepting drug shipments believed to be transporting cocaine. In December, he labeled Maduro’s government as a terrorist organization and imposed a blockade to prevent Venezuela from exporting sanctioned oil, citing the seizure of American company assets by Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chávez.

During his conversation with the Telegraph, Millay was ranked third in the newspaper’s world leader listings, although the top two positions remain undisclosed. He acknowledged the previous holder of fourth place as Ahmed al-Shalah, a jihadist leader from Syria. Regarding Trump, Millay stated his deep respect for the former president, applauding him for ending multiple conflicts. He even nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize during his visit to the White House in October, although this year’s award was given to Venezuelan activist Maria Colina Machado, who dedicated it to Trump.

Millay emphasized that Trump’s defining characteristic is his staunch opposition to socialism. As the first president to run as an overt liberal third-party candidate, Millay has consistently criticized socialism as a widespread contagion, linking it to various forms of collectivism, including communism and social democracy.

Interestingly, it doesn’t seem surprising that Millay is open to the idea of a U.S. airstrike on Venezuela, particularly with Trump intensifying pressure on Maduro. It’s worth noting that the Telegraph mistakenly referred to Maduro as president, despite his loss in the 2024 elections.

Millay described the Venezuelan situation as one of geopolitics, with China and Russia exerting negative influence in the region. He stated that there are two opposing blocs: one led by China and its allies, another by Russia and its affiliates, with the United States trying to expand its own influence throughout the Americas.

Furthermore, Millay argued that Maduro has utilized national resources to propagate communism across the continent, claiming the world would be better off without Venezuelan communism—and that Cuba’s version should also come to an end.

His remarks came in the wake of Trump’s explicit threats to the Maduro regime made on December 16. Trump highlighted the seizure of national assets and other issues such as terrorism and drug trafficking, designating the Maduro government as a foreign terrorist organization. He announced a complete blockade of all licensed oil tankers in response to the regime’s actions.

As of now, the U.S. has publicly acknowledged the seizure of two Venezuelan oil tankers, and Trump has suggested that U.S. military operations have likely dismantled drug production facilities in Venezuela. In a radio interview, he claimed that significant blows had been dealt to these operations recently.

This kind of support for such military action is becoming more common among leaders in Latin America. For example, José Antonio Kast, the newly elected president of Chile, expressed his support for the military removal of Maduro during a visit to Argentina.

Kast acknowledged that while Chile is too small to intervene directly, he hoped that any intervention would address the significant issues at play, benefitting not just Chile but all of Latin America. He noted that many leaders in the region recognize the unacceptable situation unfolding in Venezuela.

Notably, the most prominent dissenting voices against intervention come from Brazil’s and Colombia’s leftist leaders, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Gustavo Petro. However, Maduro seems to be losing influence, especially after Lula distanced himself from him in late 2024 by blocking Venezuela’s entry into the anti-American BRICS coalition. Initially supportive, Lula has reportedly felt betrayed by Maduro’s failure to disclose election results from a contested presidential race.

In Colombia, although Petro previously opposed U.S. intervention, he was forced to clarify that Venezuelan authorities have no control over Colombia’s military after Maduro allegedly attempted to exert authority over it.