Maduro refused to confirm that the Americans hit a port in Venezuela, but wants to negotiate with the US: “We are ready”

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday avoided confirming or denying the US attack on Venezuelan port facilities that Donald Trump revealed the other day, but said he was willing to negotiate with the United States, according to AFP.

At the moment, the Maduro regime is under great pressure from the United States, which has deployed a war flotilla in the Caribbean and tightened oil sanctions against Venezuela and seized at least two ships carrying Venezuelan crude.

And the American president has said several times that the Americans could intervene in Venezuela. Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States had struck and destroyed a port area used by ships accused of participating in drug trafficking in Venezuela, the first US ground attack on Venezuelan territory.

“It is possible to discuss this topic in a few days. Certainly, we could discuss it in a few days,” Maduro told public broadcaster VTV in an interview broadcast Thursday, where he was told that “Your government has neither confirmed nor denied this information (about the ground attack).”

“If they want to talk seriously, we are ready”

“What I can tell you is that the national defense system has guaranteed and guarantees the territorial integrity, the peace of the country and the use and enjoyment of all our territories. Our people are safe and at peace,” he added, addressing Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet, to whom he gives an interview broadcast by the public broadcaster every year.

Maduro said he did not have a second phone conversation (after the one in November) with President Trump, but reiterated that he was still “willing” to talk with Washington.

“The United States government knows (…): if they want to seriously discuss an agreement to fight drug trafficking, we are ready; if they want oil from Venezuela, Venezuela is ready for American investment, as in the case of (US oil group) Chevron, when they want, where they want and how they want,” he declared.

“In the United States, they must know that if they want comprehensive economic development agreements, here in Venezuela, the same!” he insisted, recalling the recent cooperation between the two countries on the expulsion of Venezuelan migrants to their country, a priority issue for Donald Trump.

“What happened on the issue of migrants, because we had reached an agreement (…) Everything was working perfectly, and three weeks ago, the American authorities stopped sending migrants,” Maduro added.

Migrant flights continued throughout much of the crisis, only for Washington to suspend them in December: “they talk about the migration issue, but they are the ones who suspended the migration agreement (…) If one day there is rationality and diplomacy, (these topics) could be perfectly discussed,” he added.

The Maduro regime released nearly 200 political prisoners over the holidays

Donald Trump accuses President Maduro of running a vast drug-trafficking network, a charge he denies, accusing the United States of trying to topple him to seize the country's oil reserves, the largest on the planet.

It should be noted that the Venezuelan authorities announced on Thursday the release of 88 people imprisoned after the 2024 presidential elections disputed by the opposition, a week after the release of 99 other detainees on Christmas. However, they remain subject to judicial proceedings.

A UN mission recently pointed out that repression has intensified in recent months in Venezuela, and the opposition speaks of “revolving doors” of prisons, pointing out that arrests continue while other detainees are released.

According to the NGO Provea, there are approximately 700 political prisoners in the country.

Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner of the 2024 presidential election by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which never released the detailed results of the poll, citing a cyber attack. The United States and much of the international community did not recognize Maduro's re-election to a third six-year term.