Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has reached out to US President Donald Trump, offering serious talks on combating drug trafficking and offering US companies easy access to Venezuelan oil. Nicolas Maduro said Venezuela was a “brother country” of the United States and a friendly government. He pointed out that during their last meeting in November, the American president had recognized his authority by calling him “Mr. President.”
The Venezuelan leader, in power for many years, spoke in an interview filmed on New Year’s Eve and broadcast on Venezuelan state television on New Year’s Eve. In the show, Nicolas Maduro and his interviewer cross a militarized zone in the capital, Caracas. It shows the president behind the wheel of a car, with the journalist sitting next to him and his wife, Cilia Flores, in the back – a gesture that commentators interpreted as an attempt to show confidence in the face of fears of a US strike, despite his reduction in public appearances in recent weeks.
Change of tone
These statements mark a change in tone in Maduro’s position towards the United States since the latter’s massive military deployment in the southern Caribbean. Donald Trump accused Nicolas Maduro, whom he describes as “illegitimate”, of running a narco-state and threatened to impeach him. Nicolas Maduro says the United States is seeking to oust him to gain control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves and rare earth deposits.
At an event shortly before Christmas, Nicolas Maduro urged Donald Trump to focus on domestic issues, saying: “Honestly, if I talk to him again, I will tell him that everyone should take care of their own domestic affairs.” In his latest statements, Nicolas Maduro declared to his interlocutor: “To the people of the United States, I say what I have always said: Venezuela is a brother country… a friendly government.”
“We need to start talking seriously, based on the facts. The U.S. government knows this, because we have repeatedly told our interlocutors: If it wants to seriously discuss the anti-drug trafficking agreement, we are ready to do so. If it wants Venezuelan oil, Venezuela is ready to accept American investments like those of Chevron, when, where and how it wants.”
