Spain Foreign Minister Says US Behaves as 'Cowboy' in Venezuela

Spain’s Foreign Minister Josep Borrell Wednesday accused the United States of behaving like a "cowboy" in Venezuela and stressed that a solution to its current political impasse should be "peaceful, negotiated and democratic."

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"The contact group which we are part of is not on the same wavelength as the U.S. administration, which is like a cowboy who says 'look at me, I will draw my gun,'" Borrell said during an interview with TV Espanola.

Regarding the failed military uprising against President Nicolas Maduro, which was led by the opposition politician Juan Guaido and backed by the U.S. on April 30, the Spanish top diplomat described it as an "attempted military coup," adding that "you have to call things by their name."

During the interview, Minister Forrell also criticized the U.S. government’s adoption of extra-territorial measures against Cuba and described them as “an abuse of power which we oppose."

Borrell's statements happened on the same day in which U.S. Vice President Mike Pence launched new implicit threats against the Bolivarian Revolution by announcing that his country will soon deploy a military ship.

"Today I announce that the U.S. Navy will deploy the USNS Comfort to the Caribbean, Central America and South America," said Pence during a speech at the Washington Conference of the Americas.

The U.S. Vice President also offered new incentives to Venezuela's military to turn against President Maduro. In addition, President Donald Trump's administration will move to impose sanctions on twenty-five Venezuelan Supreme Court Judges.

In response to these threats, Supreme Court President Maikel Moreno Wednesday said the Venezuelan magistrates cannot be "blackmailed."

"We categorically and forcefully reject the threat of Mike Pence, who in a disrespectful and interfering manner seeks to subject the high-ranking judicial authorities to threats which violate independence, self-determination and sovereignty principles," Moreno said and added that the Venezuelan judges would never be subordinated to a foreign government seeking to violate "our country's sovereignty."