Venezuela signals willingness to negotiate with US on drug trafficking

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has expressed openness to negotiating with the United States on issues including drug trafficking, oil, and migration, signaling a more conciliatory approach amid ongoing US sanctions and military pressure.

In an interview aired January 1 with Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet on state television, Maduro said, “Wherever they want and whenever they want,” regarding the possibility of dialogue with Washington, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media. 

He added that it is time for both nations to “start talking seriously, with data in hand.”

“The US 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,” Maduro said.

When directly asked by Ramonet to confirm or deny reports of a US attack on Venezuelan soil, Maduro replied, “This could be something we talk about in a few days.”

The comments come in the wake of reports from CNN at the end of December that the CIA carried out a drone strike on a Venezuelan port facility earlier in the month, marking the first known US strike on a target inside Venezuela. US President Donald Trump later confirmed that a US ttack on a Venezuelan facility had taken place, though he provided no operational details.

Previously, US forces have conducted attacks on South American ships in the Caribbean, citing links to drug trafficking. 

By Sabina Mammadli