Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro has fewer paths to a U.S.-guaranteed exit after President Donald Trump rejected a series of sweeping requests for amnesty and sanctions relief during a brief call last month, according to people briefed on the conversation.
Maduro Sought Broad Amnesty And Sanctions Rollback
Four sources told Reuters on Monday that a call between Maduro and Trump on Nov. 21 lasted less than 15 minutes and followed months of mounting U.S. pressure that has included strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats and terrorism designations against Maduro allies.
Maduro said he would leave Venezuela if Washington lifted all U.S. sanctions on him and his family, ended a flagship case at the International Criminal Court and removed sanctions on more than 100 officials accused of abuses, corruption or drug trafficking, the sources said. He also proposed naming Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to lead an interim government before new elections.
Trump refused most of those conditions, the sources said, but offered Maduro one week of safe passage to depart with his family to a destination of his choice. When that deadline expired on Friday, Trump escalated publicly, declaring on social media that the airspace above and around Venezuela should be considered "closed in its entirety," a move that stoked anxiety in Caracas and raised questions about how such an order would be enforced.
U.S. Strikes And ‘Narco-Terrorist' Label Intensify Pressure
The call came as Washington ratcheted up a broader campaign. Since early September, U.S. forces have carried out around 20 strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, killing more than 75 people.
The White House calls the targets "narco-terrorists" and says the operations are lawful self-defense, while legal experts and lawmakers from both parties have questioned whether some strikes comply with the laws of war.
Washington Weighs Next Steps, Keeps Exit Option Open
Trump met top advisers Monday to discuss next steps on Venezuela, including options that Reuters has reported range from continued pressure to efforts to topple Maduro, alongside covert CIA operations.
A U.S. source briefed on internal deliberations told Reuters that officials still see a negotiated exit as possible but described major unresolved differences. The United States has raised its reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest to $50 million and offers $25 million bounties for several top aides, including Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, all of whom deny U.S. allegations of drug trafficking and other crimes.
Photo: IAB Studio from Shutterstock
Read Next:
