1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,440 Speaker 1: The US Full Court Press on Venezuela continued out of 2 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:04,640 Speaker 1: the weekends, which had told us in the last declaration 3 00:00:04,720 --> 00:00:06,920 Speaker 1: that the airspace should be considered close. So what's the 4 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:09,319 Speaker 1: plan here. Jeffrey Price is the senior Fellow at Foreign 5 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:12,760 Speaker 1: Policy Institute in the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. 6 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:14,200 Speaker 1: Back with us, Jeffrey morning. 7 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:15,560 Speaker 2: Good morning. 8 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:17,360 Speaker 1: What's the effect of the declaration? 9 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:23,279 Speaker 2: Well, so the pressure is being ramped up really to 10 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 2: a very high level. The amount of military force that 11 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 2: we the United States have built up in the Caribbean 12 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 2: is really quite significant. We have a carrier strike Group 13 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 2: with our largest and most modern nuclear powered aircraft carrier, 14 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 2: the ford On Station in the area. There's been a 15 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 2: ramping up of threats as you mentioned, and they're also 16 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:48,960 Speaker 2: ongoing strikes against boths coming from Venezuela. So the pressure 17 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 2: is a very high level. And the question you ask 18 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:54,640 Speaker 2: is I think really the right one, which is what 19 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 2: is the strategy and the endgame here. Clearly I think 20 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:04,680 Speaker 2: that Trump administration would like to remove Maduro, but it's 21 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 2: not clear exactly how that would be accomplished with the 22 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 2: amount of force that I think we the United States 23 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:13,199 Speaker 2: would be willing to employ. 24 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: I think it was last week. Maduro City wouldn't mind 25 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:17,920 Speaker 1: a word. Is that going to happen, do we think 26 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 1: or not? 27 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:23,919 Speaker 2: So Trump has spoken to Maduro, but nothing major seems 28 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:27,440 Speaker 2: to have come from it. I think not unusual for 29 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:31,600 Speaker 2: President Trump. There was talk of a meeting, but my 30 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:35,320 Speaker 2: sense is that the meeting is not if it was 31 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 2: ever going to happen, It's not going to happen unless 32 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:42,680 Speaker 2: there's something very substantial agreed between them. So meanwhile, you 33 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 2: know the rhetoric, and you know, as you mentioned, the 34 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 2: airspace has not been closed. 35 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:51,480 Speaker 1: What's the more effective aspect of it the aircraft carrier 36 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 1: that sits off the coast versus the half dozen Allians 37 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:56,640 Speaker 1: that didn't come back and therefore got banned last week. 38 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 2: So Venezuela has been subject to a to a heavy 39 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 2: degree of sanctions. I don't think that's going to that's 40 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 2: going to change their calculus. Really. I think the thing 41 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:11,760 Speaker 2: that's really going to change the status quo inside Venezuela, 42 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:15,640 Speaker 2: if it does, is military force. And the issue is 43 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:21,239 Speaker 2: what what could the United States do with probably air 44 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:25,760 Speaker 2: strikes against a limited set of targets that would change 45 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:28,079 Speaker 2: the regime in Madurea in Maduro's regime. 46 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:32,000 Speaker 1: Exactly. While I've got your expertise, Jeffrey, this thing in Florida, 47 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: the talks at the moment, the war in Ukraine. Is 48 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 1: this going anywhere? Am I going to be talking to 49 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:36,359 Speaker 1: you for the next six months? 50 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 2: It has been going on for a very long time. Again, 51 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,639 Speaker 2: this too has been ramped up to a fairly high level. 52 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 2: You've got Witkoff, who is the president's negotiator, is also 53 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 2: going to go to the Kremlin this week. I would 54 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 2: not bet the farm that this results in an agreement 55 00:02:57,200 --> 00:02:59,320 Speaker 2: for the reason that I just don't think that Putin 56 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:01,800 Speaker 2: is going to agree anything that would be reasonable or 57 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 2: acceptable to the Ukrainians. 58 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:06,960 Speaker 1: All right, appreciate your expertise as always different Price, Who's 59 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: with the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. For 60 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 1: more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news talks. 61 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast 62 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:18,720 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.