Trump Confirms Call With Maduro as US Airstrikes Kill 83 in Escalating Caribbean Standoff

United States President Donald Trump has acknowledged a recent telephone conversation with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, describing it in characteristically ambiguous terms amid a sharp escalation in bilateral tensions. The exchange occurred against the backdrop of intensified US military operations in the Caribbean, including airstrikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels that have resulted in at least 83 fatalities. Trump refrained from characterizing the dialogue as either productive or contentious, stating simply, "I wouldn't say it went well or badly. It was a phone call."

The discussion reportedly encompassed offers of amnesty for Maduro should he relinquish power, with assurances of safe passage to destinations such as Russia or other allied nations. According to reports from major US outlets, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, the overture was conveyed through intermediaries, including Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, who confirmed the proposal's intent to facilitate a peaceful transition. This comes as the United States continues to withhold recognition of Maduro's legitimacy following last year's disputed presidential election, accusing him of orchestrating widespread electoral fraud.

Military actions have further strained relations, with US forces deploying the world's largest aircraft carrier to Caribbean waters and conducting repeated surveillance flyovers of Venezuelan airspace, which Trump declared "closed" to illicit activities. The administration has designated Maduro's alleged "Cartel of the Suns"—a network purportedly involving senior officials and criminal syndicates—as a terrorist organization, announcing a $50 million bounty for his apprehension. Trump indicated that ground-based interdiction efforts to stem Venezuelan drug flows "by land" would commence imminently, signaling a broadening of the campaign beyond maritime targets.

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Venezuela has vehemently denounced these measures as preludes to outright aggression, with Maduro authoring a formal letter to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) asserting that Washington seeks to plunder the nation's vast oil reserves—the largest globally—through coercive force. Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez labeled the airstrikes, which included a controversial secondary bombardment targeting survivors, as "extrajudicial executions" or potential "war crimes" absent a formal declaration of hostilities. In response, six international airlines have suspended flights to Caracas, though the capital's airport remains functional.

The opacity surrounding the Trump-Maduro exchange underscores the precarious state of US-Venezuela diplomacy, where unverified intelligence claims underpin aggressive postures without independent corroboration. As Maduro, the ideological successor to the late Hugo Chavez, rallies regional support against perceived imperialism, the impasse threatens broader instability in Latin America, including disruptions to global energy markets and heightened risks of refugee outflows. Resolution appears distant, with Trump's administration prioritizing regime change rhetoric over sustained negotiation.

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