Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said he is open to talks with the United States on drug trafficking, oil and migration issues amid weeks of an escalating pressure campaign by the Trump administration.
In a pretaped interview on state TV that aired Thursday, the South American leader said he is ready for dialogue with the U.S. “wherever they want to whenever they want.” He evaded a question about a strike last week at a Venezuela docking area that the Trump administration believed was used by cartels.
During the interview, Maduro reiterated that the U.S. wants to force a government change in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves through the monthslong pressure campaign that began with a massive military deployment to the Caribbean Sea in August.
“What are they seeking? It is clear that they seek to impose themselves through threats, intimidation and force,” Maduro said, later adding that it is time for both nations to “start talking seriously, with data in hand.”
“The U.S. government knows, because we’ve told many of their spokespeople, that if they want to seriously discuss an agreement to combat drug trafficking, we’re ready,” he said. “If they want oil, Venezuela is ready for U.S. investment, like with Chevron, whenever they want it, wherever they want it and however they want it.”
Chevron Corp. is the only major oil company exporting Venezuelan crude to the U.S. Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves.
The interview was taped on New Year’s Eve, the same day the U.S. military announced strikes against five more alleged drug-smuggling boats. The latest attacks bring the total number of known boat strikes to 35 and the number of people killed to at least 115, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration. Venezuelans are among the victims.
President Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and asserted that the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels. The strikes began off Venezuela’s Caribbean coast and later expanded to the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The Trump administration has accused Maduro of drug trafficking and working with gangs designated by the U.S. as terrorist organizations — which Maduro denies.
In a major escalation to the campaign, Mr. Trump, who has repeatedly threatened land strikes against Venezuela, said the U.S. hit a “big facility” last week linked to alleged drug boat operations, although he didn’t offer many details.
“There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,” Mr. Trump said Monday as he spoke to reporters at Mar-a-Lago.
The Associated Press, citing two people familiar with the details of the operation, reported that the CIA was behind the drone strike. It was the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the boat strikes began.
The CIA declined to comment on its reported involvement in this operation.
Asked about the operation on Venezuelan soil, Maduro said he could “talk about it in a few days.”
