Trump Calls On Venezuelan Military To Back Guaido

President Donald Trump has again called on Venezuelan military officers to back the country's self-declared interim president, Juan Guaido, reports CNN. 

In a speech in Miami, Fla., on Monday, Trump said that officers who continue to support Maduro "are risking their future."

He also accused "a small handful at the top of the Maduro regime" of plundering Venezuela's wealth.

Trump referenced aid that has languished along the border between Venezuela and Colombia because the military has closed the crossing. 

Washington seeks a peaceful transition of power but all options are on the table, said the president. 

Trump also warned the military against harming Guaido, who was briefly arrested in January, reported Reuters. 

National Security Adviser John Bolton last week said that many officers have been negotiating with the opposition behind the scenes. Defections are likely in the following weeks, he predicted. 

The opposition-controlled legislature has passed a law granting amnesty to military officers who defect. 

Guaido, who leads the National Assembly, has received the backing of most European countries and several neighbors.  

Maduro retains support from China, Cuba and Russia.