French media: The President of Venezuela says he is willing to negotiate with the United States, sending a signal of reconciliation under pressure?

Facing great pressure from the United States, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was accused by Trump of supporting smuggling, robbery and other criminal activities, said he is willing to hold talks with Washington. Reuters analyzed that in light of the threat of military action by the Trump administration, Maduro has recently actively sent signals of reconciliation.

The remarks about being willing to negotiate with the United States were revealed in an interview with journalist Ignacio Ramonet, which was broadcast on state television on Thursday. He said "preparing" to discuss issues such as drug trafficking, oil and economic agreements with Washington.

Since August, Trump has increased pressure on Caracas. The United States has deployed a naval fleet in the Caribbean Sea and strengthened its oil sanctions against Venezuela, seizing at least two ships carrying Venezuelan crude oil. US President Trump has repeatedly mentioned the possibility of US intervention in Venezuela.

"Whenever, wherever, however"

In the interview, Maduro accused the United States of wanting to force a regime change in Venezuela through months of pressure actions that began in August last year, including large-scale military deployments in the Caribbean Sea, and to gain Venezuela's vast oil reserves, trying to "compel us to comply" through threats, intimidation and force. He then added that it is now time for the two countries to "start serious dialogue and present data for discussion." He said, "The US government knows, because we have told many of their spokespeople, if they want to seriously discuss a drug trafficking agreement, we are ready."

He said, "If they want oil, Venezuela is always ready to welcome American investment, just like Chevron, whenever, wherever, however, we welcome it."

Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves. Chevron is the only major oil company that exports Venezuelan crude oil to the United States.

AP reported that this interview was recorded on New Year's Eve. On the same day, the US military announced attacks on five suspected drug-carrying vessels. According to numbers released by the Trump administration, the latest attack brought the total number of known vessel strikes to 35, with at least 115 deaths, including Venezuelans. US President Trump claimed these attacks are necessary measures to stop drugs from entering the US and insisted that the US is engaged in an "armed conflict" with drug cartels. The strike operations originally focused on the Caribbean coast of Venezuela, but later expanded to the eastern Pacific. Meanwhile, according to two anonymous sources familiar with the details of the operation, the CIA carried out a drone strike on a dock area believed to be used by Venezuelan drug traffickers last week. This was the first known direct action within Venezuela since the vessel strikes began, and also marked a major escalation of the Trump administration's pressure on Maduro. In the interview broadcast on New Year's Day, Maduro responded directly to this attack, merely stating, "This may be a topic we will discuss in a few days."

The president of Venezuela has been charged with drug terrorism in the United States. Previously, the US had increased its military presence in the region and conducted more than 20 strikes on vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the Pacific and Caribbean Seas.

Multiple extreme pressures

As the latest development in the pressure on Maduro, Washington imposed sanctions on four companies operating in the Venezuelan oil industry and related tankers on Wednesday. Trump has announced a blockade of all sanctioned vessels entering and leaving Venezuela's waters, a move that has reduced Venezuela's oil exports this month to about half of the level in November.

The US Treasury stated in a statement that it has imposed sanctions on petroleum traders involved in the Maduro government's evasion of sanctions. The targets include four tankers, with the Treasury accusing some of them of belonging to so-called "shadow fleets." The Venezuelan Ministry of Communications, which handles all media inquiries for the government, has not yet responded to this matter.

Reuters reported earlier on Wednesday that the US blockading Venezuela, preventing sanctioned tankers from entering or leaving the country, has almost paralyzed the country's exports. The accumulation of fuel stockpiles in Venezuela's onshore tanks has forced the state-owned oil company (PDVSA) to take extreme measures to avoid shutdowns of refining facilities.

Maduro and his government strongly deny involvement in criminal activities and claim that the US is seeking regime change to control Venezuela's rich oil reserves.

On Friday, December 5th, US President Trump unveiled his second term national security strategy, stating that the US would abandon its traditional role as a global leader and instead strengthen its dominance in Latin America and vigorously combat foreign immigration.

Immigration is a top priority for the Trump administration. In the interview, Maduro also reviewed the recent cooperation between the two countries on repatriating Venezuelan immigrants, saying that the US has suspended the immigration agreement... If there is any rationality and diplomatic means, these issues can be discussed.

Releasing the opposition

The National Electoral Council (CNE) announced that Nicolas Maduro won the 2024 presidential election, but never published detailed results, citing cyberattacks. The opposition questioned the election results, and the majority of members of the international community, including the United States, do not recognize Maduro's third consecutive six-year term as president.

The Venezuelan government announced on New Year's Day that it had released 88 people detained during the protests following the July 2024 elections, marking the second large-scale release of detainees in a few weeks under pressure from the US to the Maduro government. Adding the 99 people released on December 26, a total of 187 people were released within two weeks.

A UN mission recently emphasized that repression in Venezuela has intensified in recent months. The opposition points out that the flow of prisoners is frequent, and even though some prisoners have been released, arrests continue. According to the non-governmental organization Provea, there are currently about 700 political prisoners in Venezuela.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1853254710463626/

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