Venezuela Breaking: US extreme pressure escalates, strong signal of Russian withdrawal of family members

According to reports from multiple media outlets on December 22-23, Trump publicly warned Maduro to "not take a tough stance" and stated that "if Maduro is smart, he should step down." At the same time, the US has escalated actions against Venezuelan-related tankers/ships suspected of evading sanctions in the Caribbean, sending a multi-pronged signal of "military + sanctions + maritime interception".

What is even more noteworthy is that Russia has begun to evacuate the family members of its diplomats stationed in Caracas (media citing European intelligence officials/sources), which is usually interpreted by the market as a preemptive action indicating that "the risk of the situation is rising." Once geopolitical risks escalate, risk appetite tends to decrease, and funds are more likely to flow toward safe-haven narratives like gold/USD liquidity.