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Maduro offers dialogue with US on key issues
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro stated Thursday he is prepared to discuss drug trafficking and oil with the United States, following weeks of heightened pressure against his administration.
Call for negotiations
In an interview with Venezuelan state television, Maduro declared his willingness to engage in talks with the U.S. "wherever they want and whenever they want." He avoided directly addressing a recent U.S. claim of a strike inside Venezuela, instead suggesting the topic could be discussed "in a few days."
U.S. strikes and escalating tensions
U.S. forces have conducted over 30 operations targeting suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since September, resulting in more than 110 deaths. The latest strike, on Wednesday, killed five people aboard two boats allegedly carrying narcotics, according to the U.S. military.
On Monday, President Donald Trump announced a U.S. strike on a Venezuelan "dock area" linked to drug trafficking, causing a "major explosion." Reports from CNN and The New York Times, citing unnamed sources, attributed the blast to a CIA drone strike-potentially the first known U.S. operation inside Venezuela.
Broader U.S. pressure campaign
Trump has intensified efforts to curb drug trafficking, particularly fentanyl and cocaine, into the U.S. His administration doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro's capture and designated his government as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Maduro has denied these allegations, accusing the U.S. of using the "war on drugs" as a pretext to overthrow his government and seize Venezuela's oil reserves.
Experts note Venezuela's role as a transit country for drugs, though Colombia remains the world's largest cocaine producer. Most cocaine entering the U.S. is believed to bypass Venezuela.
Migration and oil disputes
Trump has also accused Maduro of exacerbating migration by "emptying prisons and insane asylums," though no evidence supports this claim. Nearly eight million Venezuelans have fled economic collapse and repression since 2013, with some heading to the U.S.
The U.S. has targeted Venezuelan oil shipments, seizing tankers accused of transporting sanctioned oil. Venezuela condemned a December 10 seizure as "international piracy." Two more tankers have since been intercepted.
Legal and diplomatic uncertainty
The Trump administration frames its operations as a non-international armed conflict against traffickers, but legal experts warn they may violate conflict laws. The U.S. has not provided public evidence linking targeted vessels to drug trafficking, though the U.S. Southern Command maintains intelligence confirms their involvement.
"Supplies have been a concern, but we remain open to dialogue on mutual interests," Maduro said in the interview.
