U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that «there could be discussions» with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro «because Venezuela wants to talk» amid the growing U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean.
«We could have discussions with Maduro, and we'll see how that turns out. Well, in the case of Venezuela, it's about drugs and it's also about hundreds of thousands of people that they threw out of our country, and some are members of the Tren de Aragua gang. They would like to talk,» the president declared to the press from Palm Beach International Airport in Florida.
The U.S. president did not specify a date for the talks or who would lead them, insisting that it is Venezuela that «wants to talk,» although he doesn't know what it's about.
«I talk to anybody, we'll see what happens,» he mentioned.
Trump spoke just moments after the U.S. State Department announced it would lead a transitional government without Maduro. Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that Caracas offered to open its oil and gold to U.S. companies and redirect its fuel exports from China to North America.
His statements also come hours after the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, the largest in the U.S. fleet, in the Caribbean on Sunday as part of the military deployment he has ordered in the region.
Additionally, the U.S. announced on Sunday the destruction of another vessel allegedly carrying drugs in the Pacific Ocean, where it killed three men on board whom it accused of «narcoterrorists,» bringing the total of similar bombings to 21 and over 80 dead since September.
The U.S. leader, defending these attacks, promised he would keep Congress «involved» in discussions on next steps in Venezuela.
«We have great support because it's all about drugs. It's about designating, as of November 24, the Cartel of the Suns as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), a group that Washington links to Maduro, whose government claims is «a fabrication».
The U.S. president acknowledged, when questioned by the press, that this designation «allows» Washington to attack Maduro's assets or infrastructure within Venezuela, but clarified that he has not said he would do so.
«It allows us to do that, but we haven't said we're going to do that, and we could discuss (with Venezuela),» he said.
The announcement of discussions with Maduro comes after reports in the U.S. press in October about alleged negotiations that the Venezuelan government had sought with the Trump administration. The Miami Herald reported that Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez had proposed talks to the U.S.
