Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has said he is open to dialogue with the United States on issues ranging from drug trafficking to oil and migration, signalling a willingness to de-escalate tensions after weeks of mounting pressure from Washington.
Speaking in an interview on Venezuelan state television on Thursday, Maduro said he was ready for talks with the US “wherever they want and whenever they want.” His comments come amid an aggressive US campaign targeting vessels suspected of smuggling narcotics through the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Over the past three months, US forces have carried out more than 30 strikes on boats allegedly linked to drug trafficking, resulting in more than 110 deaths, according to official figures. The most recent incident occurred on Wednesday, when two boats were struck, killing five people on board, the US military said.
Tensions further escalated earlier this week after former US President Donald Trump claimed that American forces had attacked a docking facility in Venezuela linked to drug smuggling operations, causing a “major explosion.” US media reports, citing unnamed sources, said the blast was the result of a CIA drone strike, which, if confirmed, would mark the first known US operation inside Venezuelan territory. When asked to confirm or deny the incident, Maduro avoided a direct response, saying it was “something we could talk about in a few days.”
Beyond security concerns, Maduro said he was also open to discussions on oil and migration, as the US tightens enforcement against sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments. Washington has seized two oil tankers in recent weeks and pursued a third, accusing them of transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran — allegations Caracas has dismissed as “international piracy.” While the Trump administration has framed its actions as part of a “war on drugs,” legal experts have questioned whether the operations comply with international law, noting that the US has yet to publicly provide evidence that the targeted vessels were carrying narcotics.
Melissa Enoch
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