Name: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro open to talks with Trump
Uploaded: 2026-01-02T23:48:22.599Z
Duration: 3 min 8 s
Description: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro says he is open to talks with President Trump on several issues, including drug trafficking, oil and migration.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro says he is open to talks with President Trump on several issues, including drug trafficking, oil and migration.

Caracas

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro stated in a televised interview that he is open to initiating dialogue with U.S. President Donald Trump on a range of issues, including drug trafficking, oil, and migration. This offer comes as the Trump administration continues to escalate its pressure on Venezuela, with recent U.S. military actions targeting suspected drug boats and ongoing search-and-rescue operations in the Pacific.

The U.S. campaign against Venezuela began with strikes on alleged drug boats and has expanded to include oil tanker seizures and reported drone strikes inside Venezuela. While Maduro has publicly offered negotiations, it remains unclear whether the Trump administration is willing to engage, as officials have emphasized their goal of removing Maduro from power.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro open to talks with Trump

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says he is open to talks with President Trump on a number of pressing issues, including drug trafficking, oil, and migration. In a pre-taped interview that aired on Thursday, Maduro said he is prepared to open a dialogue with the U.S., quote, whenever they want to, whenever they want. Now, this comes as President Trump and the administration now escalates its pressure campaign against Venezuela, with the U.S. military announcing it killed five people in strikes on two suspected drug boats as recently as two days ago. CBS News Pentagon reporter and producer Eleanor Watson joins me now from our D.C. Bureau. Ellie, so much going on here. I mean, what is and isn't Maduro open to discussing here? And what are the chances that those talks will actually happen? Well, President Maduro, with those comments, said he's open to discussing ways to combat drug trafficking and to discuss U.S. investment in oil, saying essentially that the U.S., he would talk to them about whatever they want, however they want it. We've heard about similar offers before, because President Trump back in October said that Maduro had offered everything because he doesn't want to mess with the United States. Maduro now, with these comments, is offering publicly negotiations to ease the pressure campaign the U.S. has been waging against him for months. It's a campaign that started with those strikes against alleged drug boats, now includes seizures of oil tankers, and just last week, according to President Trump, drone strikes inside Venezuela. President Trump has given different reasons for the campaign, including drug trafficking, illegal migration and oil. But his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, told Vanity Fair in an interview that it basically boils down to Maduro must go. So it's unclear what negotiations the Trump administration would be willing to enter into with Maduro himself. But Maduro, with these comments, is publicly offering some sort of olive branch. OK. And, Ellie, we also know that there were actually some survivors from one of those strikes on alleged drug boats earlier this week. Do we have an update this hour on the search-and-rescue mission there? The Pentagon on Tuesday targeted three vessels. It says we're traveling in a convoy in the Pacific. The strikes killed three individuals on the first vessel, but the remaining two vessels, the individuals on those vessels, jumped into the water before their vessels were targeted and sunk. The Coast Guard initiated a search-and-rescue, which, as of today, is ongoing, according to a Coast Guard spokesperson. Now, Chanel, it's worth noting that this campaign against alleged drug boats started back in September against drug boats that had alleged ties to Venezuela. But since about mid-October, the campaign has expanded to include vessels in the Eastern Pacific, and the administration has released less information about the nationalities and the ties to suspected drug terrorist organizations with these strikes. The U.S. military overall has targeted at least 36 vessels, killing an estimated 115 people since September. OK. Lots to follow here, Eleanor Watson.

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