WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro last week and discussed a possible meeting between them in the United States, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing multiple people with knowledge of the matter. The newspaper added that there were no plans at the moment for such a meeting, which - if it occurred - would be the first-ever encounter between the authoritarian Venezuelan leader and a U.S. president. The revelation of the phone call comes as Trump continues to use bellicose rhetoric toward Venezuela, while also entertaining the possibility of diplomacy. Trump had previously indicated he would be open to speaking with Maduro, though the Times report indicates that such a conversation has already happened. The Trump administration has described Maduro as an illegitimate leader, who leads a drug trafficking organization known as Cartel de los Soles, an allegation Caracas denies. Many independent experts say that while narco-corruption in the Venezuelan government is a major issue, there is little proof of an organized grouping of officials that could be traditionally called a cartel. Since early September, the U.S. government has been bombing alleged drug boats originating in Venezuela and other Latin American nations, a practice that Democrats, scholars and human rights experts have described as extrajudicial executions. On Thursday, Trump repeated his previous threats to begin bombing land-based targets. “The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon,” Trump told reporters. Neither the White House nor the Venezuelan communications ministry, which handles all press requests for the government, responded to requests for comments. White House officials have said that Trump does not see pursuing military and diplomatic tracks as mutually exclusive in Venezuela. A major military buildup in the Caribbean has been underway for months, and Trump has authorized covert CIA operations in the South American nation. On Sunday, Reuters reported that the U.S. was about to enter a new phase of Venezuela-related operations, which could include the deployment of covert options. Two U.S. officials told Reuters the options under consideration included attempting to overthrow Maduro. Earlier on Friday, The Washington Post reported that the U.S. government deliberately killed survivors after bombing a drug boat near Trinidad in a so-called “double tap” strike after Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth gave a directive to “kill everybody.” The Pentagon called the article misleading, but it could nevertheless intensify concerns about the legality of U.S. operations in the area. Reporting by Jasper Ward, Gram Slattery, Jeff Mason and Julia Symmes Cobb; editing by Diane Craft.
