Reuters: Trump gave Maduro one week to leave Venezuela

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is running out of options for a negotiated exit after US Preident Donald Trump gave him a one-week deadline to leave the country with his family, according to multiple sources briefed on a November 21 call between the two leaders.

During the call, Maduro said he was willing to leave the country if he and his family received full legal amnesty, including the lifting of US sanctions and the end of an International Criminal Court case, sources told Reuters. He also asked for sanctions relief for more than 100 officials and proposed that Vice President Delcy Rodríguez lead an interim government before new elections.

The call followed months of escalating US pressure, including operations against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean, threats of potential military action. Maduro denies all criminal accusations and says the United States is seeking regime change to control Venezuela’s natural resources.

Trump refused nearly all the requests but gave Maduro one week—until November 28—to depart with his family under US-guaranteed safe passage. After the deadline passed, Trump declared Venezuela’s airspace closed, according to two sources. Some details of the call had been reported previously, but the deadline was new.

On December 1, Maduro publicly pledged “absolute loyalty” to the Venezuelan people.

A senior US official said Trump reviewed Venezuela policy with advisers on December 1, and one Washington-based source said a negotiated exit for Maduro remains possible, though major disagreements persist. The US currently offers a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest and $25 million rewards for several top officials, all of whom deny US accusations.

Maduro’s government has requested another call with Trump, sources said.

By Sabina Mammadli