Published On 1/12/2025
|
Last update: 02:09 (Mecca time)
US President Donald Trump confirmed – yesterday, Sunday – that he had a phone call with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, but he did not give any details about what was discussed during this call, which comes in light of a dangerous escalation between the two countries.
“I don’t want to comment on it. The answer is yes,” Trump said in response to a question about whether he spoke with Maduro. He was speaking to reporters on board Air Force One.
The New York Times reported that Trump spoke with Maduro earlier this month and discussed with him the possibility of holding a meeting between them in the United States.
The revelation of this call with Maduro comes at a time when the US President continues to use escalatory rhetoric towards Venezuela, while at the same time showing a willingness to potentially resort to diplomacy.
The day before yesterday, Trump said that the airspace over and around Venezuela should be considered “completely closed,” but he did not provide further details, which sparked a state of anxiety and confusion in Venezuela as his administration escalated pressure on the Maduro government.
The Trump administration is considering options in Venezuela to address what it describes as Maduro’s role in bringing drugs into the United States, but the Venezuelan president denies any connection to the drug trade.
Reuters said that the options being considered by Washington include “trying to overthrow Maduro” and that the US military is preparing for a new phase of operations after a huge military buildup in the Caribbean, and about 3 months of strikes on boats suspected of carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela.
Neither Maduro nor senior members of his government commented on the call, and when asked about it yesterday, Venezuelan National Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodriguez said that the call was not the subject of his press conference, where he announced a “parliamentary investigation” into US boat strikes in the Caribbean Sea.