Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused the United States of trying to “fabricate a crisis” to start a war in South America in his first interview with an American broadcaster in years.

“Everything that the United States government has done has been doomed to failure […] They are trying to fabricate a crisis to justify political escalation and military intervention in Venezuela to bring a war to South America”, Maduro told ABC News in an interview made in Caracas.

Maduro also slammed the recent Lima Group meeting in Bogota as “part of that politics to attempt to establish a parallel government in Venezuela”, stressing that the US “wants Venezuela’s oil” and is “willing to go to war for that oil”.

The Venezuelan president also told ABC News that US President Donald Trump needs to fix his policy over Venezuela.

“Venezuela has the right to peace, Venezuela has legitimate institutions. I, as President of Venezuela, am prepared for a direct dialogue with your government and with you to look for, like the Americans that we are. We are South Americans, you are North Americans. To look for 21st century solutions not Cold War solutions. The Cold War should stay behind”, Maduro said in an interview with ABC News.