President Donald Trump held a phone call late last week with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in which the two discussed the possibility of an in-person meeting in the United States, the New York Times reported Friday. Secretary of State Marco Rubio participated in the call.
The U.S. and the Maduro regime have been in closed-door discussions before, and the Venezuelan strongman even offered to give the U.S. companies major stakes in Venezuelan oil fields and mineral resources. But the Trump administration cut off talks last month when it became evident that Maduro had no intention of stepping down in the near future.
The conversation came just days before a State Department designation took effect naming Maduro the head of what the administration labels the foreign terrorist organization Cartel de los Soles.
The call also occurred as the United States expands its military posture around Venezuela, including an aircraft carrier group, bomber flights, and maritime strikes on boats U.S. officials say were involved in drug trafficking. Trump said on Thanksgiving that operations would soon shift to land-based actions.
The Trump administration considers Maduro’s presidency illegitimate following a 2024 election it deemed corrupt, and has accused the Venezuelan president of being a narcoterrorist.
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