Juan Guaido, the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, has instructed his envoy to the United States Carlos Vecchio to start talks with the U.S. military for help in overthrowing the Nicolas Maduro government, the Associated Press reports, citing a statement by Guaido. In his statement, the self-declared interim president of Venezuela referred to the talks as “direct communications” on a possible military “coordination”, in the latest sign that his efforts and those of his compatriots are not having the desired effect despite weeks of protests and a takeover of the U.S. business of Venezuela’s PDVSA, Citgo.
At the end of April, Guaido declared what he called “the final phase” in the opposition’s battle against the incumbent government, saying some in the Venezuelan military had switched allegiances and now supported the opposition. He called on the rest to drop their loyalty to Maduro and join the opposition’s fight. However, the phrase “final phase” turned out to be a little exaggerated with a few soldiers joining in the protests and nothing definitive resulting from them.