Maduro accuses US of fabricating crisis in Venezuela to start war in South America

The US government is manufacturing a crisis in Venezuela in an attempt to begin military intervention into the country and start a war in South America, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said in an interview published on Tuesday.

"Everything that the United States government has done has been doomed to failure. They are trying to fabricate a crisis to justify political escalation and a military intervention in Venezuela to bring a war to South America," Maduro told the ABC News TV channel.

Asked if he had a message for US President Donald Trump, Maduro said Trump needed to "fix" his Venezuela policy, adding that he was prepared for a direct dialogue with the US government.

"The extremist Ku Klux Klan government that Donald Trump directs wants a war over oil, and more than just oil," Maduro added.

Venezuela is currently going through a political crisis. On January 5, lawmaker Juan Guaido was elected as the president of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, which all other government branches have been refusing to recognize since 2016.

On January 23, two days after the Venezuelan Supreme Court annulled his election, Guaido declared himself the country's "interim president." Maduro, who was sworn in for his second presidential term on January 10 after winning the May election, which part of the opposition boycotted, qualified Guaido's move as an attempt to stage a coup orchestrated by Washington.

The United States immediately recognized Guaido, after which some 50 other countries followed suit. Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia and a number of other states have, in the meantime, voiced their support for the legitimate government of Maduro. Mexico and Uruguay have refused to recognize Guaido, declaring themselves neutral and promoting crisis settlement via dialogue.