U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone with his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, last week to arrange a possible meeting between them in the United States, The New York Times reported on Friday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter. The call, which also included U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, did not result in concrete plans for the meeting, the New York-based newspaper added, without sharing further details about what was discussed between the two leaders. The conversation took place 'days before' last Monday, when the U.S. State Department designated as a terrorist group known as the 'Cartel of the Suns,' which it links to the Venezuelan ruler, whose government has responded that it is a 'fabrication' by Washington, the article added. Neither the U.S. nor the Venezuelan government has publicly commented on the alleged call so far, although they have not denied it took place. The news of the conversation comes a day after Trump's warning that the Armed Forces will 'very soon' begin to 'detain' 'Venezuelan narcotraffickers' by land, following operations at sea, where the U.S. 'warned them to stop sending poison to our country,' Trump declared in a Thanksgiving call with military personnel. Despite this warning, Trump indicated on Tuesday that he 'could talk to save many lives' with Maduro, a conversation that would be 'welcome' in Venezuela, according to Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab. 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 Rodríguez proposed to the U.S. to head a transitional government without Maduro, while The New York Times noted that Caracas offered to open its oil and gold to American companies and redirect its fuel exports from China to North America. The reports come amid growing tension between Venezuela and the United States, which deployed its largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, in the Caribbean on November 16 and conducted bomber attack demonstrations with its B-52H aircraft on Monday.
