Pressure Mounts on Maduro as Trump Administration Demands Dialogue

Tue Nov 18 2025 18:59:32 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro expresses readiness for direct talks with the Trump administration amid increasing pressure from the US government, including military operations and accusations of drug trafficking.

Nicolás Maduro has indicated his willingness to engage in face-to-face discussions with representatives of the Trump administration, coinciding with escalated US pressure on his regime. The US has doubled the reward for information on Maduro and launched military operations targeting alleged drug trafficking from Venezuela. Analysts interpret this scenario as a potential ultimatum for negotiations or harsher measures against Maduro, raising concerns over the legality and implications of US military involvement in the region.

Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has said that he is willing to hold face-to-face talks with representatives of the Trump administration as US pressure on him grows.

Maduro made the comment hours after US President Donald Trump stated that he had not ruled out deploying ground forces to the South American country.

The Trump administration has accused Maduro - whose re-election last year was dismissed as rigged by many nations - of leading a drug cartel. Maduro denies these allegations and accuses the US of inciting war to seize control of Venezuela's oil reserves.

Since Trump began his second term in January, the US government has intensified its efforts against Maduro. The reward for information leading to Maduro's capture has been increased to $50 million, and in August, the US embarked on a counternarcotics operation targeting boats allegedly transporting drugs from Venezuela.

Over 80 individuals have reportedly died in the US strikes on suspected vessels, primarily in the Caribbean and Pacific. The strike operation, dubbed Operation Southern Spear, aims at removing narcoterrorists from the Western Hemisphere, according to US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. However, legal experts challenge the legitimacy of these operations, citing a lack of evidence for drug transport.

The deployment of the US Navy's largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald Ford, has sparked speculation about the aims of the operation, which may extend beyond narcotics to include regime change.

Trump's statements on the potential for military action against Venezuela have been inconsistent. He has suggested that while war might not be imminent, he would consider direct communication with Maduro.

Furthermore, the US state department plans to designate the Venezuelan drug trafficking group, allegedly led by Maduro, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on November 24, raising the stakes for any negotiations. This designation would criminalize any material support for Maduro's government from US citizens.

Despite previous failed attempts at negotiations, Maduro has expressed openness to dialogue, stressing it as a path toward peace and rejecting war.

Simultaneously, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has been advocating for a military uprising against Maduro's government, calling it a criminal structure. In a recent social media address, she outlined her vision for a post-Maduro Venezuela, emphasizing accountability for human rights violations during Maduro's rule.