Showcasing the Effectiveness of Tariff Pressure... Warning to China
NYT: "CIA Approved Covert Operation in Venezuela"
On October 15 (local time), President Donald Trump of the United States announced that India has decided to stop purchasing Russian oil.
At a press conference held at the White House that day, President Trump said, "I was unhappy about India buying oil from Russia," adding, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured me today that India will not buy oil from Russia."
President Trump stated, "This is a major blockade," and emphasized, "Now China must take the same action."
He reiterated, "Prime Minister Modi said that India will not buy oil from Russia," and explained, "It cannot be done immediately. There are some procedures that need to be followed. However, those procedures will be completed soon."
The Trump administration has criticized both China and India for importing Russian oil at low prices and thereby funding Russia's war efforts. In August, President Trump signed an executive order imposing an additional 25% tariff on Indian products for this reason, increasing pressure on India. His remarks on this day are interpreted as an attempt to highlight the effectiveness of his pressure strategy using tariffs. At the same time, it appears to be a warning directed at China, another major importer of Russian oil.
President Trump also hinted at the possibility of launching land-based strikes to block the inflow of drugs into the United States, following the recent sinking of Venezuelan vessels as part of efforts to stop drug trafficking. He said, "We have almost completely blocked drugs from coming in by sea. Now we will block the land routes," adding, "We are definitely considering land-based (strikes) right now."
So far, attacks on Venezuelan vessels have all occurred in international waters. These remarks suggest the possibility of directly striking Venezuelan territory.
Regarding criticism that the U.S. Navy's sinking of Venezuelan vessels violates international law, President Trump countered, "When we did it in a politically correct way, it was not effective." He continued, "We may lose three crew members (of the sunken vessels), but we can save 25,000 Americans who could otherwise die from drug addiction. These people (the drug traffickers) are killing our citizens with drugs," he argued.
Meanwhile, The New York Times (NYT) reported that the Trump administration claimed the sunken vessels were carrying drugs, but did not provide specific information about who was on board at the time of the airstrikes, and pointed out that there was a lack of legal justification for the attacks.
Prior to President Trump's remarks that day, the NYT cited multiple U.S. officials in reporting that the Trump administration had approved a covert Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operation inside Venezuela and was increasing pressure on the Nicolas Maduro regime. The United States has stationed about 10,000 troops near Venezuela and deployed eight warships and submarines. According to the U.S. military media outlet The War Zone (TWZ), U.S. Air Force B-52 strategic bombers also conducted a show of force near Venezuela that day.
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