Trump confirms he had a phone call with his Venezuelan counterpart amid tensions

US President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday that he recently had a phone call with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolás Maduro, who accuses Washington of using the fight against drug trafficking as a pretext to deploy large military forces in the Caribbean Sea with the aim of toppling him.

Of the call with Maduro, which was first revealed by the New York Times, Trump said, “I can’t say if it went well or badly… It was a phone call”.

On the other hand, CNN reported on Sunday, citing a source, that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, during informal talks with US officials, confirmed his readiness to step down after 18 months.

According to CNN, the Maduro administration has been in contact with representatives of US President Donald Trump with the aim of establishing a dialogue between the two countries.

It was noted that some US officials considered such a proposal to resign acceptable, in order to resolve the dispute between Caracas and Washington.

The White House, however, ultimately insisted that the Venezuelan president should step down immediately.

On November 29, US President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social, closing the airspace over Venezuela, as Washington accuses Venezuelan authorities of failing to combat drug trafficking.

The US Navy has deployed an assault group commanded by aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, as well as a nuclear-powered submarine, and more than 16,000 military personnel in the Caribbean.

Since September, US forces have sunk at least 20 speedboats in the area, killing more than 80 people.

The US media has repeatedly reported that the United States may soon begin launching strikes on Venezuelan territory.

On November 27, Trump said Washington would begin fighting drug smuggling from Venezuela very soon, but didn’t provide details of possible military operations.