Reuters: Cuba, US discuss Venezuela's future "without a Maduro regime"

Unnamed Cuban officials have entered into talks with the United States to discuss a possible scenario of “a world without a [Venezuelan President Nicolás] Maduro regime,” two sources familiar with the contacts said on December 5.

The sources, who asked to remain anonymous to describe sensitive information, declined to say who specifically from Cuba had contacted the U.S., per Reuters.

"Elements within the Cuban regime reached out to the U.S.," a source briefed on the matter said. "There have been discussions between the two about what the world would look like without a Maduro regime."

A second source confirmed the contacts. Neither source provided further details.

Cuba issued a statement on November 25 accusing the U.S. of seeking a violent overthrow of the Venezuelan government and called the U.S. military buildup in the region an "exaggerated and aggressive" threat.

The dramatic escalation of U.S. firepower in the Latin American region includes the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier strike group plus eight warships, a nuclear submarine and F-35 aircraft.

By Khagan Isayev