Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has said he is willing to hold “serious” talks with the United States on combating drug trafficking and suggested U.S. companies could invest in Venezuela’s oil sector, as the Trump administration escalates interdiction strikes and steps up pressure on Caracas.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said he is prepared to pursue “serious” talks with the United States about reaching an agreement to combat drug trafficking, while also inviting American investment in Venezuela’s oil industry.
Maduro made the remarks in an interview that aired Thursday, according to Fox News and other outlets that carried excerpts of the interview. In the interview, Maduro said Venezuela was ready to discuss an anti-drug agreement with Washington and added that the country was open to U.S. oil investment “like with Chevron.” Chevron is currently the only major U.S. oil company exporting Venezuelan crude to the United States.
Maduro’s comments come amid an intensifying U.S. pressure campaign that has included military strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats operating near Venezuela and in the Eastern Pacific. Reuters reported that the United States has carried out more than 20 strikes since September, resulting in more than 100 deaths.
Several outlets also reported a further escalation: a strike on a docking area in Venezuela believed by U.S. officials to be linked to drug trafficking. The Associated Press and The Washington Post cited unnamed officials describing the operation as CIA-led and described it as the first known U.S. strike on Venezuelan soil since the maritime campaign began. Maduro did not confirm the incident during the interview and said he would address it later.
In the same remarks, Maduro accused Washington of seeking to impose political change in Venezuela through “threats, intimidation and force,” arguing that U.S. pressure is driven by a desire to gain access to the country’s oil resources.
The Trump administration has defended the interdiction campaign as necessary to stem narcotics flows and has accused Maduro’s government of involvement in drug trafficking—an allegation Maduro denies. The White House did not immediately respond publicly to Maduro’s latest comments, according to The Daily Wire.