Trump, Maduro open to talks, but US not ruling out Venezuela military operation

Trump, Maduro indicate willingness to engage in dialogue, but US not ruling out military action against Venezuela

Despite escalating tensions with Venezuela, US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) indicated that he was open to talks with Nicolas Maduro, the leader of the South American nation.

A day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the US was looking to designate a cartel allegedly led by Maduro as a terrorist group, Trump reiterated that he "probably would want to" talk to the Venezuelan President, as reported by the Associated Press (AP).

At the same time, Trump did not rule out military action on Venezuelan territory, saying, "I don't rule that out. I don't rule out anything."

‘We'll see what happens'

Alleging that Maduro was behind drugs and migrants coming into the US from Venezuela, Trump accused the Venezuelan President of doing "tremendous damage" to the US.

"He has not been good to the United States, so we'll see what happens,” Trump added.

Hours after Trump indicated his willingness to hold dialogue with the Venezuelan President, Maduro signalled that he too was open to talks—"This country will continue to be at peace, and in the United States, anyone who wants to talk to Venezuela will talk face to face, without any problem."

“Talk, yes. Peace, yes. War, no. Never, never, war,” Maduro added.

The two leaders' apparent willingness to engage in dialogue comes at a time of considerable uncertainty surrounding the Trump administration's next moves towards towards Maduro's government.

The US, of late, has stepped up strikes on what it alleges are drug boats, with the Trump administration carrying out its 21st such attack on Sunday, which left three dead.

As details about the strike was emerging, Rubio also took to social media to announce that the US was looking to designate the allegedly Maduro-led cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

"@Statedept intends to designate Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Headed by the illegitimate Nicolás Maduro, the group has corrupted the institutions of government in Venezuela and is responsible for terrorist violence conducted by and with other designated FTOs as well as for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe," the US Secretary of State said on X.

As the situation continues to develop, the Trump administration has already started flexing its military might—over the weekend, the USS Gerald R Ford and accompanying warships arrived in the Caribbean.

Earlier in October, Trump had also greenlit CIA covert operations in Venezuela, sparking a protest from Maduro, who reiterated that he did not want war.

While the US maintains that its operations against Venezuela are part of a larger anti-narcotics push, some critics and analysts see it as a pressure tactic against Maduro, whose legitimacy as Venezuela's President is internationally contested.

Source: LiveMint
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