Donald Trump, Nicolas Maduro (AP)
US President Donald Trump has halted diplomatic efforts with Venezuela and ordered his special envoy, Richard Grenell, to end all outreach, according to senior US officials.The move signals an end to Washington’s attempts at negotiation with President Nicolás Maduro’s government and could pave the way for a tougher US stance, including potential military action targeting drug trafficking operations linked to Venezuela.Richard Grenell, who serves as a special presidential envoy and executive director of the Kennedy Center, was spearheading negotiations with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and other senior officials.However, during a meeting with top military leaders last Thursday, President Trump reportedly called Grenell and directed him to immediately halt all diplomatic efforts, including ongoing talks with Maduro, officials said Monday, as cited by the New York Times. The development comes amid a series of recent US military strikes on vessels allegedly transporting drugs near Venezuela. In a notice to Congress, Trump stated that the United States is engaged in “a non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels.While Trump is reportedly weighing potential strikes inside Venezuela, a US official said the president has not yet decided whether to move forward with a second phase of the military campaign, as per Reuters. Marco Rubio, the secretary of state and national security adviser, has labeled Nicolás Maduro an “illegitimate” leader, repeatedly pointing to a US indictment accusing him of drug trafficking. Rubio has also called Maduro a “fugitive from American justice,” as Washington raised the bounty on the Venezuelan president to $50 million.Trump has reportedly grown increasingly frustrated with Nicolás Maduro’s refusal to step down and with Venezuelan officials’ continued denials of involvement in drug trafficking. A White House official said Trump is prepared to use “every element of American power” to curb the flow of narcotics into the United States and has repeatedly warned Maduro to halt Venezuela’s role in the drug trade.Some current and former officials say Trump may authorize strikes on drug cartel targets inside Mexico, though it’s unclear whether he has approved any plan. The US military says recent attacks on boats carrying narcotics took place in international waters. But officials warn that expanding operations into Venezuela or moving to oust Maduro could risk drawing the US into a wider conflict.Last month, Trump deployed 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico, marking the largest military buildup in the Caribbean in more than 30 years. The deployment also included eight warships and a nuclear-powered submarine, part of what the administration described as an operation to combat drug trafficking routes into the United States.
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