Trump and Maduro spoke on the phone days before declaring the Cartel of the Suns a Foreign Terrorist Organization
During the conversation, the possibility of a future meeting between the two was raised, although for now there is no concrete plan for it to materialize.
Donald Trump and Nicolás Maduro
President Donald Trump held a phone call last week with Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, according to several people with knowledge of the contact cited in a report from The New York Times. According to these sources, during the conversation the possibility of a future meeting between the two was raised, although for now there is no concrete plan for such a meeting to materialize.
The same sources said the call took place later in the week and was attended by Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. All of them requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Call prior to the designation of the Cartel of the Suns as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
The communication came days before the State Department formalized the designation of the Cartel de Los Soles a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The Trump Administration maintains that the Venezuelan regime engages in activities linked to international narco-trafficking.
U.S. military pressure in the Caribbean
Accompanied by military leaders, Trump declared that efforts to curb drug trafficking would move to land operations, adding, "The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon," according to documents you provided me. The statement publicly reinforced the hard line his government had been applying in the Caribbean.
Escalation and political context
The hardening of the U.S. stance follows previous attempts, revealed in October, in which Maduro offered Washington a significant stake in Venezuelan oilfields and other economic opportunities. According to the reports cited, those talks were suspended by U.S. officials early last month due to Maduro's insistence on remaining in power.
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