Venezuela's leader Nicolás Maduro said U.S. and Venezuelan officials should "start talking seriously" on drug trafficking and oil, per an interview published Thursday.
The big picture: Maduro acknowledged during the interview the months-long U.S. militarized pressure campaign targeting suspected "narco-terrorists" and was asked directly about President Trump's comments that the U.S. military had "knocked out" a dock that Venezuelan drug boats allegedly used.
What they're saying: "If they want to talk seriously about an agreement to combat drug trafficking, we are ready," Maduro said during the interview that was taped Wednesday, per an English transcript that Latin American network TeleSUR published.
- "If they want Venezuelan oil, Venezuela is ready for U.S. investments like with Chevron, whenever they want, wherever they want, and however they want," he said of the only major American oil firm that's allowed to lift Venezuelan oil.
- Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet asked Maduro during their interview about Trump's comments last week saying the two leaders had recently spoken on the phone.
- Maduro said the Nov. 21 conversation was "pleasant," but "after that, the post-conversation developments have not been pleasant."
- Representatives for the White House and State Department did not immediately respond to Axios' Thursday evening request for comment.
The intrigue: Ramonet noted that Maduro's regime had neither confirmed nor denied reports of a "ground attack" in Venezuela, as Trump suggested, which would mark a major escalation in the U.S. campaign.
- "That might be a topic we discuss in a few days, in a second version of this podcast," Maduro replied, dodging the question.
State of play: The U.S. military has struck more than 30 suspected drug boats in the Caribbean, killing over 100 people since September.
- Trump has also designated Venezuela a "foreign terrorist organization" and ordered a blockade of all U.S. sanctioned oil tankers servicing the country, threatening to bankrupt Caracas' already struggling economy.
Go deeper: Trump on seized Venezuelan oil: "We're gonna keep it"
