NYT: Trump calls Maduro, discusses possibility of a face-to-face meeting

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump held a telephone conversation with the dictator of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro during which they discussed the possibility of a personal meeting. This was reported by the newspaper The New York Times with reference to unnamed interlocutors familiar with the matter.

The conversation took place at the end of the week, the two interlocutors said. It included a discussion of a possible meeting between them in the United States. According to one of the interlocutors, there are currently no plans for such a meeting.

Telephone conversation with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubiothe meeting came just days before the State Department recognized Maduro as the leader of what the administration considers a foreign terrorist organization "The Cartel of the Suns.

The United States has established a significant military presence in the Caribbean aimed at Venezuela. Administration officials have said their goal is to curb drug smuggling, but they have also made it clear that they want Maduro removed from power, possibly by force, the article says.

In October, the newspaper wrote that Maduro had offered Washington a significant stake in the country's oil fields, as well as a number of other opportunities for American companies, to defuse tensions. But he wanted to stay in power, so U.S. officials broke off the talks.

A White House spokeswoman declined to comment on the conversation. The Venezuelan government did not respond to a request for comment. Two people close to the government of the Latin American country confirmed the fact of a direct conversation between the two leaders.

Direct conversations between Trump and Maduro could be the beginning of attempts to create a shift away from escalating the use of force, although the administration is likely set on an outcome that would require Maduro to leave office, journalists say.

• October 24, USA sent supersonic bombers B-1 to the coast of Venezuela.
• The next day, America sent a strike team with the newest and largest aircraft carrier to Latin America.
• On October 31, WP reported that Maduro, against the backdrop of the US military presence in the Caribbean, appealed to Russia, China and Iran to strengthen the country's "worn-out military potential".
• According to Reuters, on November 12 Venezuela planned to deploy weapons including outdated Russian equipment, to organize guerrilla resistance or wreak havoc in the event of a US air or ground attack.