Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said on Thursday he was open to talks with the US on drug trafficking and oil, after weeks of an escalating pressure campaign against his government. In an interview with Venezuelan state TV, Maduro stated he was ready to engage in dialogues 'wherever they want and whenever they want'. When questioned about President Donald Trump's recent remark regarding a US strike on a docking facility in Venezuela, a first attributed to the CIA, Maduro dismissed the inquiry. US forces have been conducting strikes on vessels suspected of transporting narcotics over the past three months.
There have been over 30 operations under the Trump administration's 'war on drugs', resulting in more than 110 fatalities since the first attack on a boat in international waters on September 2. Recently, two boats alleged to be carrying drugs were struck, leading to the deaths of five individuals, according to the US military. Trump revealed that a drone strike had targeted a 'dock area' in Venezuela associated with alleged drug activities, which would mark a significant escalation if confirmed as the first US military action on Venezuelan soil.
While Maduro avoided direct answers regarding the attacks, he expressed openness for discussions not just on narcotics but also on oil and migration. The US has intensified efforts against drug trafficking and imposed stricter sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector amid escalating tensions between the two countries.
Maduro argues that Venezuela's role in drug trafficking is overstated, criticizing US accusations that he’s facilitating drug transport and claiming that their military actions serve more to exert control over Venezuela’s oil resources. Counter-narcotics specialists indicate that while cocaine is heavily trafficked from Colombia, which shares a border with Venezuela, the latter is largely a transit nation rather than a direct producer of narcotics. The crisis has led to a mass exodus of nearly eight million Venezuelans since 2013, many fleeing economic hardship and political repression. The US has also stepped up operations against sanctioned oil tankers operating in and out of Venezuelan ports, complicating the geopolitical landscape further.
There have been over 30 operations under the Trump administration's 'war on drugs', resulting in more than 110 fatalities since the first attack on a boat in international waters on September 2. Recently, two boats alleged to be carrying drugs were struck, leading to the deaths of five individuals, according to the US military. Trump revealed that a drone strike had targeted a 'dock area' in Venezuela associated with alleged drug activities, which would mark a significant escalation if confirmed as the first US military action on Venezuelan soil.
While Maduro avoided direct answers regarding the attacks, he expressed openness for discussions not just on narcotics but also on oil and migration. The US has intensified efforts against drug trafficking and imposed stricter sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector amid escalating tensions between the two countries.
Maduro argues that Venezuela's role in drug trafficking is overstated, criticizing US accusations that he’s facilitating drug transport and claiming that their military actions serve more to exert control over Venezuela’s oil resources. Counter-narcotics specialists indicate that while cocaine is heavily trafficked from Colombia, which shares a border with Venezuela, the latter is largely a transit nation rather than a direct producer of narcotics. The crisis has led to a mass exodus of nearly eight million Venezuelans since 2013, many fleeing economic hardship and political repression. The US has also stepped up operations against sanctioned oil tankers operating in and out of Venezuelan ports, complicating the geopolitical landscape further.
