00:00Donald Trump says the airspace above Venezuela is to be closed.
00:04The U.S. president is stepping up his feud with Venezuela's leftist leader,
00:08Nicolas Maduro, over alleged drug running through the Caribbean.
00:12With a U.S. task force already in the region,
00:15Trump has previously said land operations will begin soon
00:18against suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers.
00:21U.S. warships appear to be gearing up for action against Venezuela
00:30off the coast of Puerto Rico.
00:3415,000 U.S. soldiers are now stationed in the region.
00:39There are also 15 U.S. naval vessels off the Venezuelan coast,
00:44including the United States' largest aircraft carrier,
00:47the U.S.S. Gerald Ford, which can carry up to 90 planes.
00:54On the streets of Caracas, uncertainty is making people wary.
01:00We are all afraid, but we must continue with our lives.
01:04What else can we do?
01:05If we stop, we will achieve nothing.
01:08We have to move forward and act like nothing is happening.
01:12That's the truth.
01:13Tension? Yes, there is tension.
01:15It feels like a tense calm, where you know something could happen,
01:19but you don't know when.
01:23Life goes on, but with a lot of crisis,
01:26a lot of problems and few solutions.
01:29This has led all of us to the situation we are in,
01:32with parents here alone and children abroad,
01:34only seeing them on video to check in.
01:37I don't know how this situation in the Caribbean will end
01:40or how it will be resolved.
01:41Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro says his position hasn't changed
01:48and that he is willing to engage in face-to-face dialogue with Donald Trump.
01:54Peace will be my haven, my greatest desire, my hope,
01:59to say it is our victory,
02:02and peace will continue to be our victory,
02:05achieved through our own efforts.
02:06But Maduro also stresses that Venezuela is prepared to defend itself.
02:15With Trump warning that the U.S. will soon target
02:18suspected Venezuelan traffickers on land,
02:21Maduro's armed forces may well be put to the test.
02:25And for more, let's bring in journalist Alvaro Algarra,
02:30who joins me from Caracas.
02:32Good to have you with us.
02:34So Donald Trump warned of the closing of Venezuela's airspace on Truth Social.
02:39He also says ground operation will be imminent.
02:42How have Venezuelans reacted to that?
02:45Hello, greetings from Caracas, Venezuela.
02:50This Saturday, here is a lot of tensions among the Venezuelan population
02:55due to what might happen in the coming hours following President Trump's statement.
03:02Millions of people cannot travel, cannot come to the country,
03:06and we don't know what might happen in response to these warnings.
03:11President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, asserts that given the United States government
03:18continue attacks in the Caribbean and its attempts to destabilize Venezuela,
03:24the Venezuelan people will affirm their call to peace
03:29and an end to the threats against the United people
03:34with considerable power in the streets.
03:37He also stated that while the United States government seeks to rule the world with weapons
03:44and threats and to bomb and invade the nation like Venezuela,
03:49here we'll find a determinate people with remarkable popular military and police united
03:56and with the courage and determination to defend the homeland and achieve lasting peace.
04:03Right. So, you say that most Venezuelans there are determined to defend their country,
04:09but Venezuela's opposition is welcoming what many say is Trump's attempt at regime change in Venezuela.
04:18How common is that sentiment among the people you've talked to?
04:21Okay. People in Venezuela have avoided talking about politics,
04:28but at the same time, there is a lot of anticipation about what might happen in the coming hours in these days in the country.
04:38Given the amount of information coming from abroad, people go out and work to survive.
04:44Remember that the salaries in the public sector are approximately $4 or $5 per month.
04:52And the main issue is the economy, which affects many.
04:57Protests have taken here in Venezuela.
05:01There is more than 800 people arrested for political issues.
05:10And it no longer depends on them.
05:14It depends on the government, in this case, of the United States of America.
05:20Now, as Venezuelans are bracing for whatever might happen next,
05:26how are the country's neighbours looking at this conflict and where it might head to?
05:33Monica, there is a lot of tension on the streets, but I repeat, people don't talk to evitate to go to jail talking about politics.
05:48Remember, there has been 27 years this government, so anything could happen.
05:58Remember that Maria Corina, Machao, it's on clandestinity.
06:05We had elections here, and they never showed the results.
06:13And the candidates had to leave the country.
06:17So it's very difficult for the people here to talk about politics, even to the journalists.
06:24Remember, there is more than 30 journalists in jail.
06:29There is more than 100 or 200 journalists out of the country because they spoke sometime about politics.
06:40It's very difficult, Monica, these times.
06:42I respect that Alvaro Algarra, and thank you so very much for taking the time and speaking to us here on DW,
06:53journalist Alvaro Algarra in Caracas.
06:55All the best to you.
06:56All the best to you.
Comments