President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday that he spoke to Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, but did not provide details on what the two leaders discussed.
"I don't want to comment on it: The answer is yes," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked if he had spoken to Maduro.
Trump is reportedly considering engaging with the dictator diplomatically rather than strike at his regime.
Trump reportedly urged Maduro to leave the country immediately — and take his family with him — during a tense call last week, according to new reporting from the Miami Herald.
Maduro had demanded sweeping concessions, including global amnesty for past crimes and the ability to retain control of Venezuela's armed forces, but U.S. officials flatly rejected those terms.
Trump's counteroffer, sources told the Herald, was stark: Maduro, his wife and son could depart safely, but "they must do it immediately."
The discussions broke down after Maduro's team pushed for a transition model similar to Nicaragua's 1991 handover, in which outgoing rulers kept command of military institutions.
U.S. officials dismissed the idea, noting that Washington currently has a $50 million bounty on Maduro's head tied to narco-terrorism charges.
The offer of safe passage reportedly extended to several top Maduro allies as well, but none of the regime's demands were acceptable to the White House.
In the wake of the failed negotiation, Trump escalated military pressure around Venezuela.
He ordered U.S. airspace closed over the country while the USS Gerald R. Ford and a Marine Expeditionary Unit — capable of launching an amphibious assault — maneuvered offshore.
Over the weekend, Trump warned that operations inside Venezuela could begin "very soon," underscoring how close Washington now is to shifting from diplomacy to force.
The U.S. formally designated Maduro as the head of a terrorist organization, but in the meantime Trump has decided to pursue diplomacy, administration officials told Axios.
"Nobody is planning to go in and shoot him or snatch him — at this point," one official told Axios, though they stressed all options remain open.
The New York Times first reported that Trump had spoken with Maduro earlier this month and discussed a possible meeting between them in the United States.
Trump said the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered "closed in its entirety," but gave no further details, stirring anxiety in Caracas as his administration ramps up pressure on Maduro's government.
When asked whether his airspace comments meant that strikes against Venezuela were imminent, Trump said: "Don't read anything into it."
The Trump administration has been weighing Venezuela-related options to combat what it has portrayed as Maduro's role in supplying illegal drugs that have killed Americans.
e socialist Venezuelan president has denied having any links to the illegal drug trade.
Reuters has reported the options under U.S. consideration include an attempt to overthrow Maduro, and that the U.S. military is poised for a new phase of operations after a massive military buildup in the Caribbean and nearly three months of strikes on suspected drug boats off Venezuela's coast.
Trump also has authorized covert CIA operations in the country.
Maduro and senior members of his administration have not commented on the call. Asked about it Sunday, Jorge Rodriguez, the head of Venezuela's National Assembly, said the call was not the topic of his press conference, where he announced a lawmaker investigation into U.S. boat strikes in the Caribbean.
While officially branded as a drug-interdiction mission, officials acknowledge the operation doubles as a bid to destabilize Maduro's regime.
The State Department on Monday labeled an alleged Venezuelan drug cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, further expanding Trump's legal latitude for military action.
The Pentagon's lead architect of Southern Spear, Gen. Dan Caine, visited Puerto Rico the same day, where roughly 10,000 U.S. personnel are positioned.
Officials expect Maduro to offer promises of future elections and oil concessions — pledges they say he has repeatedly broken. One adviser said the president "always leads" by calling Maduro a narco-terrorist.
Venezuela's strategic alliances with Cuba, Iran, China, and Russia continue to complicate U.S. efforts, and officials believe Cuban security services might threaten Maduro's life if he attempts to step down.
Maduro was indicted by the U.S. in 2020 for allegedly leading the "Cartel of the Suns," which he denies.
Despite criticism that hard-line policy is driven by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, officials insist the hawkish posture begins with Trump himself — with Rubio and top military leaders shaping an operation to maximize his options.
One characterized Trump's shifting posture this way: "There's more talk about talking and less talk about bombing."
Newsmax writer Eric Mack, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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