Involvement in Venezuela could distract US from Ukraine - expert

RIGA - Possible involvement in Venezuela's governance could distract the United States from Ukraine, Sandis Sraders, a researcher at the Latvian Institute of International Affairs (LAI) and board member of the Latvian Transatlantic Organization (LATO), told LETA.

He said that although the US has captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, who might be responsible for the trafficking of narcotics, arms and other types of goods, structures connected with these crimes still remain in Venezuela. So, in Sraders' view, the question is whether the president's capture and trial in the US will be enough to resolve the security problems related to organized crime.

The expert said that if Venezuela becomes unstable, the US could be forced to invest additional resources to stabilize Latin America, which in turn could weaken the US focus on European security issues, including Russia's war against Ukraine, which is one of the most serious challenges for collective transatlantic security.

Commenting on US President Donald Trump's remarks about annexation of Greenland, Sraders said that Greenland's security is closely linked to US security, underlining that Greenland is Danish territory. He stressed that the US, Denmark and other allies can and are already working together to strengthen security in the Arctic region in the face of increased Russian and Chinese activity. The idea of US control over Greenland has no rational basis, he said, as a military action against an ally would violate NATO principles.

If the US were to take control of Greenland by military force and take this territory from Denmark, it would mean the end of NATO, because the US is an indispensable partner in the collective security organization, and targeting any partner militarily would mean that the collective security organization would become an organization of collective insecurity and the alliance would cease to exist, the expert said.

Sraders added that Trump's rhetoric on Colombia, Mexico, Cuba and Greenland comes at a time when the US faces growing economic and domestic challenges, including budget deficits and public dissatisfaction with budget decisions. In his view, there is a risk of increased US foreign policy involvement in conflicts, including with allies, despite Trump's pre-election pledge to avoid such an approach.

The expert voiced hope that Trump's remarks on Greenland would remain rhetorical and be translated into closer US-Danish security cooperation, as Greenland already hosts US military bases and there is scope for further deepening cooperation.

Commenting on the US fight against drug trafficking, Sraders noted that the US has a long-standing presence in Latin America, including Colombia, through the capacity of the Drug Enforcement Administration, but the loss of political cover in Venezuela does not automatically mean that drug cartel activities have stopped, as these processes continue even after regime change.

As reported, Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife were captured in a US military operation on Saturday and taken to New York to stand trial on criminal charges of sending drugs to the US.