Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has said he is willing to hold face-to-face talks with representatives of the Trump administration as US pressure on him grows. The US has been ratcheting up the pressure, doubling the reward for Maduro's capture to $50 million and launching a counter-narcotics operation targeting drug boats. The US State Department also announced its intention to designate the Venezuelan drug trafficking gang 'Cartel de los Soles', allegedly led by Maduro, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), making it a crime to provide material support to the cartel. The US military has deployed its most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, and other warships to the region, along with conducting training exercises in Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. Maduro denies the allegations, accusing the US of fabricating a war to gain control of Venezuela's oil reserves, and has called for dialogue, stating, 'dialogue, call, yes, peace, yes, war, no, never, never war.' Past mediation efforts by Norway and the Vatican have failed. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who is in hiding, has been calling on the military to switch sides and has outlined her vision for a post-Maduro Venezuela.
"Venezuela would like to talk," Trump said, but did not rule out military action, including ground troops, stating, "I don't rule out anything."
Experts disagree on whether US warplanes will strike land targets in Venezuela, but agree the carrier's presence is a powerful tool of intimidation. Trump has given seemingly contradictory answers about his plans, saying he would 'probably talk' to Maduro but also indicating he has 'made up his mind' on a course of action.
