US President Donald Trump signalled potential talks with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Sunday amid heightened tensions between Washington and Caracas as the US continues to ramp up its military presence near the South American country.
“We may be having some discussions with Maduro and we’ll see how that turns out. They would like to talk,” Trump told a reporter before boarding Air Force On at Palm Beach International Airport en route to the White House.
When asked to elaborate by a reporter, Trump did not give away further details.
“Venezuela would like to talk. What does it mean? You tell me. I don’t know,” he simply said, “I talk to anybody. I talk to you, right? I talk to anybody. We will see what happens.”
It comes as the US has been carrying out a series of strikes against vessels suspected of transporting drugs.
On Saturday, the Trump administration announced its latest deadly strike in international waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean. Four people were killed, raising the total number of people killed in “Operation Southern Spear” to 80.
In a statement, the US Navy now also announced the arrival of the nation’s most advanced aircraft, the USS Gerald R. Ford, as well as other vessels in the Caribbean. The US had already deployed eight warships, a nuclear-powered submarine and F-35 fighter jet to the region earlier.
The Ford’s arrival marks the largest buildup of US firepower in the region in generations. Its deployment brings “Operation Southern Spear” to nearly a dozen Navy vessels and roughly 12,000 sailors and Marines.
The Pentagon also announced on Sunday the carrier “Gerald R. Ford,” the U.S. Navy’s largest and most advanced aircraft carrier, has arrived in the Caribbean with a 5,000-man military force and dozens of fighters stationed on deck, along with its combat group. Those forces add to
Also on Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the state department would declare the “Cartel de los Soles” as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), accusing Maduro of leading the cartel.
“Headed by the illegitimate Nicolás Maduro, the group has corrupted the institutions of government in Venezuela and is responsible for terrorist violence conducted by and with other designated FTOs as well as for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe,” he wrote on X.
When asked by a reporter if the designation of the cartel and association with Maduro would mean the US government could target the Venezuelan leader’s assets, Trump responded “It allows us to do that. But we haven’t said we’re going to do that.”
The White House claims the US is at war with drug cartels and does not require congressional approval for operations in armed conflicts. At the same time, Washington has accused Venezuela’s government of collaborating with drug traffickers.
Maduro and the Venezuelan administration have repeatedly denied the allegations. Caracas also announced that it was preparing for a possible confrontation with American troops.