President Maduro: I am ready to talk with Trump based on respect

The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, stressed on Monday that he would hold a meeting with his United States (US) counterpart, Donald Trump, based on mutual respect.

The statements were made by the Venezuelan head of state when asked about the recent statements made by Trump about his willingness to a possible meeting with the National President:

«My answer is that just as I met (Joe) Biden (former US Vice President during Barack Obama’s tenure) and we talked at length and in a respectful way, which was recorded at the time, also I am willing to talk respectfully whenever necessary with President Donald Trump, in the same way that I spoke with Biden, I could speak with Trump”, said the Venezuelan president to AVN.

In 2015, the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, held a meeting with the current candidate for the US Democratic Party, Joe Biden, where he asked for respect for Venezuela.

Biden had complimentary and cordial comments towards President Maduro, and even indulged in a joke alluding to the Venezuelan president’s hair: “With hair like that I could be the president of the United States”, he said.

The meeting happened at the investiture ceremony of the President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, when she had a meeting with Biden, at that time, Vice President of Barak Obama, promoter of the Executive Decree in which he declared Venezuela as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to the South American nation, a document that gave rise to the countless coercive measures that have been carried out against the country.

“What do we ask of the United States? What I said to Vice President Biden, I have said it 1,000 times, in public and in private, relationships of respect, nothing more”, said Maduro at a press conference at that time, quoted by international media.

The BBC World website reported that, in response, Biden was in charge of “praising” the Venezuelan national symbols.

Before coming to the presidency, the current US president, Donald Trump, rarely used the “Venezuela” subject; however; now he gives a significant turn.

In the face of the elections, which should take place in November, Trump has decided to intensify coercive measures against the country, as well as to participate in attempted coup d’état and paramilitary incursions, such as the one carried out on May 3, in which were arrested two former green berets, who declared that they were part of the security group of the US president.

Likewise, he has expressed his “willingness” to hold a meeting with the Venezuelan president, only “to negotiate a peaceful solution,” once again ignoring the will of the people who chose President Maduro in free and democratic elections in May 2018 with more than 67%.