Trump Open To Talks With Venezuela’s Maduro While U.S. Eyes Terror Designation
President Trump on Sunday signaled a potential window for diplomacy with Venezuelan Dictator Nicolás Maduro. The comments come as the U.S. Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, arrived in the region over the weekend — part of a military buildup not seen in the region in decades.
“We may be having some discussions with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out — but they would like to talk,” Trump said Sunday before boarding Air Force One in Palm Beach, Florida.
Maduro is trying a different approach to call for de-escalation, breaking out into a rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine” at a rally Saturday, swaying with his hands in the air and repeating “peace.”
WAR OR PEACE
“What a beautiful song, the lyrics. For the young people, look up the lyrics. It’s an inspiration for all times,” the Venezuelan president said.
Maduro faces U.S. drug-trafficking charges and is accused of leading the Cartel de los Soles. The U.S. has a $50 million reward for information leading to his arrest. The State Department said Sunday it intends to designate the cartel a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), effective Nov. 24.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “Neither Maduro nor his cronies represent Venezuela’s legitimate government. Cartel de los Soles by and with other designated FTOs including Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel are responsible for terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere as well as for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe.”
Trump said that the designation allows his administration to strike inside Venezuela, “but we haven’t said we’re going to do that,” he added.
Since early September, the U.S. has killed at least 75 people in 21 strikes on small boats accused of transporting drugs in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The Trump administration has said the missions target drug-smuggling vessels and “narcoterrorist” networks, mostly connected to Venezuelan gangs. Critics note that if drugs were the main focus, far larger smuggling operations exist in Mexico and Colombia. There are also major questions and concerns about whether what the US has been doing is legal under international and U.S. law.
BIGGER PICTURE
Maduro has shown no signs of preparing to leave power, despite U.S. pressure and losing Venezuela’s election last year.
Along with the USS Gerald R. Ford, the U.S. has roughly a dozen warships, a nuclear submarine, F-35 jets, and around 15,000 troops in the broader Caribbean.
A senior administration official said Friday that negotiations are not entirely dead, and that the aircraft carrier gives the U.S. increased leverage.
The focus has been on drug trafficking; but Trump has privately discussed the issue of Venezuela’s massive oil reserves, the New York Times reports — around 300 billion barrels, the largest in the world. Maduro had floated a deal that would have given the U.S. broad access to that oil without military action, but Trump reportedly called off those talks.