Secret Trump–Maduro phone call revealed

U.S. President Donald Trump and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro held a secret phone call late last week as military tensions escalated between Washington and Caracas, the New York Times has reported, citing multiple sources familiar with the exchange.

The two leaders are said to have discussed the possibility of an in-person meeting, even as Trump publicly accused Maduro of leading the Cartel de los Soles—designated by the US as a terrorist organisation earlier in the week—and threatened military strikes against “narcoterrorists” inside Venezuela.

Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the allegations as a “ridiculous lie,” while Maduro warned Washington against triggering “a crazy war.”

According to the report, the covert conversation appeared to fit Trump’s pattern of combining threats with direct outreach, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a longtime hardliner on Venezuela and Cuba, reportedly joining the call.

The diplomatic maneuvering unfolded as US forces continued a campaign to destroy suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean, with more than 20 boats targeted since September.

Trump again hinted during a Thanksgiving message that land-based operations in Venezuela could begin soon.

In response, Maduro placed Venezuela’s military on high alert and ordered drills across the country, while Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the US strikes, claiming some of the boats destroyed belonged to Colombian fishermen.