The US military has since then carried out strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and off the Pacific coast, while threatening to carry out a ground military action in the country.
In a turn of events, Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday confirmed he held a phone call with US President Donald Trump about 10 days ago which was “respectful and cordial” and said that the conversation could act as a potential opening for diplomacy, Reuters reported.
A Reuters report on Monday, quoting four sources who were familiar with the call, stated that Maduro conveyed to Trump that he was ready to leave Venezuela if he and his family received full legal amnesty, including the removal of US sanctions and ending a case in the International Criminal Court (ICC). Trump had earlier warned the Venezuelan president to leave the country.
During a televised event on Wednesday, Maduro said, “If this call means steps are being taken toward a respectful dialogue between our countries, then dialogue is welcome, diplomacy is welcome.”
The call to President Maduro follows continuous US pressure on Venezuela to stop alleged drug smuggling into the United States. The Trump administration launched an operation to dismantle the drug cartels and ordered the US military to take action against the alleged drug carrying boats in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean.
The US military has since then carried out strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and off the Pacific coast, while threatening to carry out a ground military action in the country and designating Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist group.
When asked about the Venezuelan drug traffickers during an interaction with reporters in the White House on Wednesday, Trump said, “Every boat we knock out, we save 25,000 American lives. If you look at our numbers, the drugs coming in through sea are down 91%…and we’re going to start very soon on land.”
(with inputs from Reuters)
