US President Donald Trump held a telephone conversation with his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, in a call that could be a prelude to a meeting between the two. According to information obtained by the Argentine News Agency, The New York Times revealed that the conversation, which only became public today, took place last week and holds significant importance amid tensions between Washington and Caracas. According to the American newspaper, direct talks between Trump and Maduro could indicate that negotiations are underway between the parties, either for the latter to accept a departure from power or for Trump to abandon his offensive against Venezuela, which most of his followers disapprove of. The call, which included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, took place days before the State Department's designation of Maduro and the Cartel of the Suns as a foreign terrorist organization was set to take effect. The Trump administration claims its goal is to deter drug smuggling, but it has also made it clear that it wants Maduro to be removed from power, possibly by force. Maduro, for his part, denounced this Sunday during the second ministerial conference of the OPEC+ alliance, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, that the United States is seeking to seize his country's oil reserves by maintaining a military deployment in the Caribbean, under the pretext of combating drug trafficking. Through a letter, signed by Maduro and published by his executive vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, the Venezuelan government accused the United States of seeking to seize the oil reserves 'through the use of lethal military force against the territory, the people, and the institutions of the country.' 'This aspiration not only contravenes the provisions governing peaceful coexistence among nations, but it also seriously endangers the stability of Venezuelan oil production and the international market,' the Venezuelan text added.
