You will stain the presidency with blood: Venezuela's Maduro to Trump

With hours to go until the deadline passes for Nicolas Maduro to call early elections in Venezuela, ousted President warned Donald Trump of a civil war if he continues to insist on overthrowing him.

Speaking in an interview with Spanish TV show 'Salvados' which broadcast on Sunday, Nicolas Maduro said, "You (Donald Trump) are making mistakes that are going to stain your hands with blood!"

Also read: Will not cave into pressure, says Maduro rejecting European ultimatum on elections

"Stop! Stop! Donald Trump! You are making mistakes that are going to stain your hands with blood! And you are going to leave the presidency stained with blood," Maduro said.

While urging to respect each other, Maduro also said, "Bolivarians have the capacity of dialogue and understanding."

"Stop! Bolivarians have the capacity of dialogue and understanding. Let's respect each other. Or is it that you are going to repeat a Vietnam in Latin America? That's what I would say and repeat to him."

Venezuela President legitimacy has been in the crisis since January after opposition leader Juan Guiado declared himself as an acting President. He also called the incumbent Nicolas Maduro's 2018 reelections invalid and the body that elevated him.

The crisis has sparked mass protest in the country with thousands of people demonstrating against Maduro.

However, Maduro's government says, the current crisis is a coup attempt led by the United States to topple him and control the country's vast oil reserves.

On Sunday Donald Trump said that sending the military to Venezuela was "an option" and that he had turned down President Nicolas Maduro's request for a meeting.

"Certainly, it's something that's on the - it's an option," Trump said in an interview with CBS to be broadcast on Sunday.

Trump said Maduro requested a meeting months ago and he turned down the Venezuela leader.

"I've turned it down because we're very far along in the process," he said in excerpts from a CBS "Face the Nation" interview. 

Maduro also rejected the ultimatums he had been given by several European countries to call early elections, saying that he will not cave in to pressure.

"They are trying to corner us with ultimatums to force us into an extreme situation of confrontation," Maduro said.

Seven EU states had given Maduro a Sunday deadline to call snap presidential elections or see them recognize Guaido as interim president.

Maduro also called on Guaido to have a face to face conversation with him.

"He (Juan Guaido) should stop the strategy of the coup and stop simulating a presidency in which nobody elected him. And that if he wants to contribute to anything, to sit at a table to have a face to face conversation, direct. Let's talk, talk about the problems of the country and the solutions. Politics is not a child's game. Politics, at government levels and states, demands a lot of responsibility and sensibility. A lot of responsibility," Maduro said.

(With inputs from news agencies)