WASHINGTON, (US News): President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday that he recently spoke by telephone with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro but declined to reveal any specifics of the conversation, even as the United States intensifies military and diplomatic pressure on Caracas.
“Yes, I don’t want to comment on it. The answer is yes,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked whether he had spoken with Maduro. He described the exchange simply as “a phone call” and refused to characterize it as friendly or hostile.
The acknowledgment follows a New York Times report last week that the two leaders had discussed the possibility of an in-person meeting inside the United States. No such meeting has been scheduled, and the White House has offered no further comment.
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The call took place against a backdrop of escalating U.S. actions in the region. On Saturday, Trump announced that American authorities now consider Venezuelan airspace “closed in its entirety” to U.S.-registered aircraft, a move that triggered immediate alarm in Caracas. Venezuelan officials condemned the statement as a threat to sovereignty and aviation safety.
Senior administration sources say the conversation with Maduro involved Secretary of State Marco Rubio and occurred shortly before the State Department formally designated the Cartel de los Soles, a narcotics trafficking network allegedly led by top Venezuelan officials, as a foreign terrorist organization. The United States continues to offer a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest on narco-terrorism charges.
Military activity has also surged. U.S. naval forces have conducted dozens of interdiction operations off Venezuela’s coast in recent months, and the Pentagon has positioned additional assets in the Caribbean. Defense officials have told Congress that ground operations against trafficking networks could begin imminently.
On Capitol Hill, at least one senior Republican lawmaker has confirmed that Washington has privately urged Maduro to accept exile in Russia or another third country in exchange for a peaceful transfer of power.
Venezuelan authorities have not commented on the Trump-Maduro call but continue to denounce U.S. naval operations as violations of international law.
With diplomatic channels quietly active and military forces on heightened across the region, the brief exchange confirmed Sunday highlights the delicate and often contradictory balance the administration is striking between confrontation and back-channel engagement.
