
Venezuela's Bolivarian leader Nicolás Maduro was reported on Monday to have stayed in his country despite US President Donald Trump's offer to step down in exchange for immunity. During a private telephone conversation on Nov. 21, Washington rejected Maduro's terms and set a deadline for his departure, which has now expired.

US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday the complete closure of Venezuela’s airspace, further isolating the country and marking the most severe escalation in tensions between Washington and Caracas in decades.

US President Donald Trump reportedly spoke with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro last week to discuss a potential meeting, according to an article published by The New York Times (NYT) on Friday.

Just hours after designating the Cartel of the Suns as a terrorist organization of which Nicolás Maduro would be its leader, the United States forces conducted one of its closest flyovers of Venezuelan territory since the start of its military deployment in the southern Caribbean.

The United States escalated its confrontation with Caracas on Monday, officially designating Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and senior members of his government as part of an international terrorist organization. The move places the so-called Cartel of the Suns on the US State Department’s list of foreign terrorist groups — alongside Al-Qaeda and ISIS — and provides “new tools” for Washington’s expanding military campaign in the Caribbean.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro responded on Monday to recent comments by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the possibility of talks, insisting that any future dialogue must be conducted “face to face.”

US President Donald Trump admitted late Sunday that he might be open to talks with Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro, signaling a possible diplomatic path alongside growing military pressure in the Caribbean. We may have talks with Maduro, and we will see what the outcome is, Trump said. They want to talk, he added.

US President Donald Trump suggested in a TV interview on Sunday that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro's time in power is limited. However, he downplayed the likelihood of the United States' engaging in a war with the South American country. Asked whether the United States would go to war with Venezuela, Trump replied, I doubt it. I don't think so.

US President Donald Trump on Friday denied that his administration was planning military attacks against Venezuela, contradicting reports from major US media outlets in this regard citing anonymous sources.

According to Friday's issue of the Miami Herald, echoed by other US outlets, the Republican administration of President Donald Trump is ready to launch military strikes against Venezuela.