'Chairing meeting every other day to ensure Venezuela is stable': US VP JD Vance

Washington DC [US], January 9 : Speaking at the White House Press Briefing on Thursday (local time), US Vice President JD Vance said that he is chairing meetings regularly to talk about the next steps and ensure stability in Venezuela and a government that actually "listens to the United States".

He made the remarks while answering a query on his role in Venezuela, and said that he remains very involved as long as President Trump asks him to do it.

"Every other day, I'm chairing the meeting to try to ensure that Venezuela is stable, and as the President has directed us to do, to ensure that the new Venezuelan government actually listens to the United States and does what the United States needs it to do under our country's best interests. So I'm going to be as involved as the President wants me to be. So far, that's been very involved, and I'll keep on doing that, so long as the President asks me to do it," he said at the press briefing.

Discarding the rumours of Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, and him being left out of the operations in Venezuela, Vance told the mediapersons, "I've heard a couple of things. One that I was kept out of the planning for the Venezuela operation, that's false, and another, that Tulsi was kept out of planning for Venezuela operations, that's completely false. We're all part of the same team, and one of the things that is really amazing about that operation is that we kept it very tight to the senior cabinet level officials and related officials in our government, and we kept this operation secret for a very long time. I'm very proud of that. I think it suggests the team works very well together".

On his role in Venezuela, the US VP said, "My role is going to be whatever the president asks me to do."

His remarks come after the US launched a "large-scale strike" in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas on Saturday and captured its President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Maduro and Flores were flown out of the country in a joint operation involving intelligence agencies and US law enforcement. They were indicted on charges of alleged "drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies" in the Southern District of New York and are currently facing trial.

Following their capture, Trump said that Washington will run the country "until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition".

He said that the US action was aimed at bringing "outlaw dictator Nicolas Maduro to justice".

"We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition. We want peace, justice and liberty for the great people of Venezuela... We can't take a chance if somebody else takes over Venezuela, doesn't have the good of the Venezuelan people in mind. We're not going to let that happen. We are there now, but we are going to stay until such time as a proper transition takes place. We're going to run it essentially until such time," he said.

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