According to U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Venezuelan troops will disobey orders and let a humanitarian-aide caravan into the country.
"Saturday's a day when we're going to find a lot about the Maduro regime," said Rubio in a phone interview with Bloomberg this Wednesday. "I have reason to believe that rank-and-file military are not going to violently suppress aid workers."
Juan Guaido, the National Assembly leader battling Maduro as the legitimate head of the country, has been pushing for Venezuelan soldiers and officers to recognize him as president of the country. President Trump recently gave a speech pleading with the country's military to recognize Guaido.
"You will find no safe harbor, no easy exit and no way out," the president warned in an address on Monday. "You will lose everything."
However, no confirmed support has come from the country's high-ranking officers. All we have is Rubio's word that there is "significant resistance" among the troops.
However, earlier this week, Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino, publicly reaffirmed the military's loyalty to Maduro.
"The armed forces will remain deployed and on alert along the borders...to avoid any violations of territorial integrity," the Minister said in a public statement.
"We reiterate unrestrictedly our obedience, subordination and loyalty," to Maduro, he added.
This week, an organized humanitarian caravan is expected to enter the Venezuelan/Columbian border on Saturday, Feb. 23. Maduro has order his troops to keep it from entering the country. While Rubio is confident that the caravan will meet no resistance, this renewed public endorsement from Padrino cannot be ignored. All we can do is speculate and hope for the best.
