Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said Wednesday that his US counterpart Donald Trump had revealed his true motives toward the South American country with his claim that that it had stolen US “oil,

Donald Trump's decision to impose a partial blockade on Venezuela marks a dramatic escalation in U.S. pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, but it also risks undermining a top U.S. policy goal: deterring a potential Chinese naval encirclement of Taiwan.

Sixty-three percent of respondents told Quinnipiac they are against military action against Caracas, with just 25 percent expressing support.

The president has shied away from endorsing regime change, leaving some aides unsure about his ultimate goal.

China opposed what it said was "unilateral bullying" after Washington ordered a blockade of sanctioned tankers entering and leaving oil-rich Venezuela, but did not say exactly how it would come to the South American country's aid or offer any refuge for its embattled leader.

As U.S.-Venezuela tensions rise, sociologist and historian Emmanuel Guerisoli wrote in Spanish in Latinoamerica21 that a civil war is "very likely" if the United States tries to unilaterally oust President Nicolás Maduro.

In President Donald Trump’s telling, a land strike on Venezuela could come “soon.” He’s been saying that since mid-September. In that time, he’s publicly hinted or outright promised US military action on land at least 17 times, according to a CNN analysis of his appearances.