The President of the United States, Donald Trump, spoke by telephone with the dictator of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, last weekend, as reported this Friday (28) by the American newspaper The New York Times. According to the outlet, the two talked about the possibility of a face-to-face meeting in the US, although no date has been set.
According to the Timesthe call took place at the end of the week and was attended by the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. Sources interviewed by the newspaper stated that the conversation included the evaluation of a meeting in the United States, but one of them highlighted that “there are no plans at the moment for such a meeting”.
The United States currently maintains a significant military presence in the Caribbean, close to Venezuelan territory. Trump administration officials say the goal of the ongoing mission is to stop drug trafficking. Caracas, in turn, says that military pressure aims to promote regime change in the country and oust Maduro from power. This week, the US designated the so-called Los Soles Cartel, led by Maduro, as a terrorist organization and, this Thursday (27), President Trump said that the US may begin operations on the ground against Venezuelan drug trafficking.
In October, according to the TimesMaduro offered the US participation in oil fields and other business opportunities to try to reduce tensions. According to the American newspaper, the White House ended such conversations earlier this month upon realizing that the Venezuelan dictator intended to remain in power.
