Mike Pompeo: “Maduro had a plane ready to go to Cuba and the Russians told him he should stay”

The head of US diplomacy, Mike Pompeo, said Tuesday that President Nicolás Maduro was ready to leave Venezuela until he was dissuaded by Russia.

“He had a plane on the runway, he was ready to leave this morning, for all we know, and the Russians told him he should stay,” Pompeo said in an interview with CNN in which he said the president planned to flee to Havana .

When asked if he had a message for the president, Pompeo simply said: “Turn on the plane.”

The secretary of state and former director of the CIA refused to give the source of this information but said that the United States has interviewed “dozens and dozens of people in the field,” in addition to other materials.

The White House said earlier that three senior officials of the Venezuelan government, including the defense minister, had pledged to “support the overthrow” of Maduro.

China, Cuba and Russia remain key allies of Maduro, which is in command of a country with a severe economic crisis, with an inflation projected by the IMF of 10,000,000% for this year, and a deep humanitarian crisis resulting from shortages that has forced millions of Venezuelans to flee the country.

Many US officials accuse Cuba of being one of Maduro’s mainstays.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called Bolton a “pathological liar who misinforms” Trump, and assured that there are no Cuban troops in Venezuela.

“With regard to the Cubans, we had the opportunity to inform them that it seems unacceptable that they are protecting this bully,” said the Secretary of State.

US President Donald Trump threatened Cuba with a “total” embargo and sanctions if he does not cease supporting the Venezuelan president, at a time when the island is already under heavy penalties.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez dismissed Bolton as a “pathological liar who misinforms” Trump, and “energetically” rejected his threat of total blockade.

With information to Infobae.