Trump says he is open to negotiating with Venezuelan President
“We may be having some discussions with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out,” Trump said in Florida before departing for Washington. “They would like to talk.”
Trump has repeatedly accused Maduro of leading “narcoterrorist” cartels and claimed that the Venezuelan government facilitates drug smuggling into the US, as well as allowing “hundreds of thousands” of violent criminals to cross the border. He also noted that the State Department’s designation of the Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization “allows us to do that, but we haven’t said we’re going to do that.”
Since September, the US has conducted strikes against over 20 vessels suspected of cartel activity in the Caribbean and deployed a naval task force to the region, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. In August, Trump raised the reward for Maduro’s arrest to $50 million.
Maduro has denied all drug trafficking claims and cautioned the US against initiating “a crazy war.” Speaking during a rally in Caracas, he declared: “No more endless wars. No more unjust wars. No more Libya. No more Afghanistan.”
In response to the US military presence, Maduro has put Venezuela’s armed forces on high alert and conducted multiple military drills.
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