US President Donald Trump has threatened to strike Venezuela a second time if "they don't behave", while also threatening military action against Colombia's government, telling reporters that such an operation "sounds good to me."
"We're dealing with the people who just got sworn in. Don't ask me who’s in charge because I'll give you an answer and it'll be very controversial," Trump told reporters on Air Force One when asked if he had spoken to interim leader Delcy Rodriguez.
Pressed on what he meant, Trump said: "It means we're in charge."
Meanwhile, Rodriguez on Sunday called for a "balanced and respectful" relationship with the United States, a day after American forces attacked Caracas and captured leftist leader Nicolas Maduro.
"We consider it a priority to move toward a balanced and respectful relationship between the US and Venezuela," Rodriguez, Maduro's vice president, wrote on Telegram.
"We extend an invitation to the US government to work together on an agenda for cooperation that is aimed toward shared development."
Trump says operation in Colombia 'sounds good to me'
Turning to Colombia, he said the country is run by a "sick man", saying an operation there "sounds good to me."
"Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he's not going to be doing it very long," Trump told reporters, in an apparent reference to Colombia's President Gustavo Petro.
Asked directly whether the US would pursue a military operation against the country, Trump answered, "It sounds good to me."
The comments came after the United States abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in an audacious raid and whisked him to New York to face drug-trafficking charges.
Cuba 'ready to fall'
Trump also touched on Cuba, saying that Cuba was "ready to fall" after US forces seized the leader of its ally Venezuela, while playing down the need for any American military action there.
"Cuba is ready to fall," Trump told reporters, saying it would be hard for Havana to "hold out" without receiving heavily subsidised Venezuelan oil.
"I don't think we need any action. It looks like it's going down."
Meanwhile, the Cuban government said a total of 32 Cubans were killed in the US attack in Caracas.
"As a result of the criminal attack carried out by the government of the United States" against Venezuela, "32 Cubans lost their lives in combat operations," the Cuban government said in a statement read on national television.
