US President Donald Trump and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro were in touch over the phone despite ongoing conflict between the two countries, claimed sources familiar with the matter.
Trump has repeatedly accused Maduro of “leading” the alleged and dreaded ‘cartel de los soles’ (cartel of the sun), which the US designated as a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO) on Monday this week.
Despite threatening strikes against “narco-terrorists” on Venezuelan soil, the US President has not attacked Caracas so far, perhaps to maintain his image of being a peacemaker, say political observers.
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations against Maduro a “ridiculous lie”, with Maduro himself warning the US against launching “a crazy war”.
Also Read: Land operations against Venezuela to begin soon: Trump
The US launching ground operations inside Venezuela seems far less of a reality now, after the Maduro government mobilised more than 3.5 million militia members prepared to fight any US invasion.
While a meeting between Trump and Maduro is an unlikely scenario, given the back-and-forth hostile statements exchanged between both leaders, tensions continue to escalate in the Caribbean region.
However, observers believe the phone call between the two leaders may be part of Trump’s tactics to combine threats with negotiations.
US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, known for his hardline stance towards Venezuela and Cuba, has reportedly also participated in the conversation.
Since the deployment of the US naval fleet in the Caribbean waters, it has destroyed 20 alleged drug boats, killing more than 80 people since September.
On Friday, Trump hinted again about a possible US attack on targets in Venezuela. “We’ll be starting to stop them by land also. The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon,” he said.
Follow us
