Trump spoke with Maduro and rejected his conditions for leaving Venezuela.
The White House deadline for a negotiated exit would have expired on Friday
BarcelonaVenezuelan President Nicolás Maduro set a series of conditions for Donald Trump to leave the country, conditions that the American rejected, according to sources from Reuters and the newspaper. Miami Herald. The conversation took place during a brief phone call on November 21, after months of mounting pressure from Washington on Caracas, including attacks on boats allegedly used for drug trafficking in the Caribbean. Trump has threatened a military invasion and designated the Cartel of the Solos—a group that the US administration says includes Maduro—a terrorist organization. Maduro and his government have denied all the accusations and maintain that the United States seeks regime change to control Venezuela's natural resources, especially oil. During the conversation, according to the same sources, Maduro told Trump that he was willing to leave the country provided that he and his family received guarantees of full amnesty, the lifting of all US sanctions, and the dismissal of the case against him before the International Criminal Court. He also demanded the lifting of sanctions against more than 100 Venezuelan government officials, many of whom are accused in the United States of human rights abuses, drug trafficking, and corruption. In the conversation, Maduro proposed that Vice President Delcy Rodríguez lead an interim government before new elections are called, according to two of the sources.
Trump rejected most of the requests during the call (which lasted no more than fifteen minutes), and told Maduro he had one week to leave Venezuela for a destination of his choosing with his family. This safe passage would have expired last Friday, leading Trump to declare on Saturday that Venezuelan airspace should be considered closed, according to two of the sources. Some airlines, including Iberia, have not flown to Venezuela for weeks.This has prompted sanctions from Caracas.
Trump confirmed on Sunday that he had spoken with Maduro, without giving further details. The Caracas government has not commented on the call, but Maduro has said that no one will "distract him from the path of the revolution" and promised, at a rally before supporters, "absolute loyalty" to the Venezuelan people.
The Trump administration has reiterated that it does not recognize Maduro, in office since 2013, as the legitimate president of Venezuela. The National Electoral Council proclaimed him re-elected last year in elections that the United States and other Western governments consider fraudulent and in which, according to independent observers, the opposition won overwhelmingly.
It is unclear whether Maduro can still accept Trump's exit offer. On Monday, the US president met with his top advisors to discuss, among other issues, the pressure campaign on Venezuela, according to a senior US official. A source in Washington familiar with internal talks within the US administration did not rule out a negotiated exit for Maduro, but stressed that significant disagreements remain and important details need to be worked out.
The United States has increased the reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest to $50 million and is offering $25 million for other high-ranking government officials, including Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, who is accused in the United States of alleged drug trafficking, among other crimes. All deny the accusations.
The Maduro government has requested another call with Trump, according to three Reuters sources.