The New York Times: Trump and Maduro recently had a phone call in which they discussed the possibility of a meeting

The New York Times reported that a phone call took place between US President Donald Trump and Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro last week.

This came in a report on Friday, as the New York Times quoted multiple sources, that the two sides discussed the possibility of holding a meeting.

The sources explained that the two sides don’t yet have a plan to meet each other in light of the continued US threats against Venezuela.

The call was also attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio from the US side.

It added that both the White House and the Venezuelan government declined to confirm the news of the phone call, while two figures close to the Venezuelan government confirmed it.

On Monday, the US State Department announced in a statement the inclusion of the “Cartel de los Sols”, which is allegedly run by President Maduro and senior Venezuelan officials, on the list of “foreign terrorist organizations”.

Venezuela, which doesn’t already recognize the existence of the so-called “Cartel de los Soles” on its territory, described the US move as an attempt to create a pretext to interfere in the country’s affairs.

On November 17, Rubio accused the “Cartel de los Soles” of causing violence in the region, in cooperation with similar organizations, and holding him responsible for drug smuggling to the United States and Europe.

These developments coincide with rising tensions between the United States and Venezuela.

In August, Trump issued an executive order to increase the use of the military in the name of fighting drug cartels in Latin America.

In this context, Washington announced the dispatch of warships and a submarine off the coast of Venezuela, while US Secretary of Defense Pete Higgseth said that the military is ready for operations, including regime change in Venezuela.

In response, Maduro announced the mobilization of 4.5 million troops in the country, stressing that he was ready to repel any attack.

The US military’s attacks on boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific, allegedly smuggling drugs and directly targeting people on board, have sparked a debate about extrajudicial killings in the international community.