'Smart' for Maduro to go

BLOCKADE: TRUMP THROWS DOWN GAUNTLET TO VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT >>> Moscow reaffirms 'full support' for leader of South American country.

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It would be “smart” for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down, as US naval forces pressed a blockade on the South American country’s oil wealth, US President Donald Trump said on Monday.

Venezuela’s key ally Moscow, however, expressed its “full support” for Maduro’s government, as Washington has dialled up military operations and threats against Caracas.

Asked by reporters if Washington’s threats were designed to force Maduro to leave office after 12 years, Trump said: “That’s up to him, what he wants to do. I think it would be smart for him to do that.”

But he added: “If he plays tough, it'll be the last time he’s able to play tough.”

Firing back just hours later, Maduro said Trump would be “better off” if he focused on domestic problems rather than threatening Caracas.

“He would be better off in his own country on economic and social issues and he would be better off in the world if he took care of his country’s affairs,” Maduro said in a speech broadcast on public television.

The pledge from Moscow came on the eve of a UN Security Council meeting yesterday to discuss the mounting crisis.