Photo credit: AP
US President Donald Trump delivered a blunt ultimatum to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during a recent phone call, telling him, “You can save yourself and those closest to you, but you must leave the country now,” according to the Miami Herald.The United States reportedly offered safe passage for Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores, and their son if he agreed to depart immediately. The offer was also said to extend to several top allies. However, Caracas refused to accept the conditions, prompting the talks to collapse.Also read| ‘Wouldn’t say it went well or badly’: Trump confirms call with Maduro; comes as US steps up pressure on VenezuelaUS President Donald Trump on Sunday acknowledged that he had recently spoken with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro but refused to give details. Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “I wouldn’t say it went well or badly.” His guarded comments came after he publicly warned that Venezuelan airspace should be considered “closed in its entirety,” a declaration made hours after the failed exchange amid rising tensions and after the US sent major military assets to the Caribbean, adding to its tense standoff with Caracas. According to the Miami Herald, the call, held late in the week of November 16, stalled when Maduro sought two guarantees — global amnesty for himself and senior members of his circle, and the right to retain command of Venezuela’s armed forces even if he allowed free elections. The paper quoted a source familiar with the call saying, “First, Maduro asked for global amnesty for any crimes he and his group had committed, and that was rejected. Second, they asked to retain control of the armed forces … In return, they would allow free elections.” Washington reportedly dismissed both proposals and instead demanded that Maduro step down at once. Maduro government attempted to arrange another call with Washington but received no response. A defense expert familiar with Venezuela’s military and state-linked cartel networks warned that Maduro and key figures in his regime could now be facing their most serious threat yet.Following the breakdown, Trump sharply escalated pressure on Venezuela. He warned that US military operations “by land” could begin “very soon” and ordered aircraft to avoid Venezuelan airspace. A FlightRadar24 map later showed no international aircraft flying over the country. Flights to Aruba and Curaçao took longer alternative routes, and major airlines halted services after a Federal Aviation Administration warning about “heightened military activity.” Venezuela retaliated by revoking the operating rights of several foreign carriers and accused Washington of “colonial aggression.”US politicians have defended the administration’s stance. Senator Dave McCormick told Fox News Sunday, “We have a war that’s coming through fentanyl, through opioids, through cocaine,” blaming Venezuela for fuelling a drug crisis that “killed 100,000 Americans last year.” The administration has intensified maritime strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean, actions critics have described as extrajudicial. Congressional inquiries are under way into an alleged “double tap” strike near Trinidad, which US secretary of war Pete Hegseth has denied ordering.
