President Donald Trump has informed advisers he plans to speak directly with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, according to a report from Axios published Tuesday. The development follows the U.S. administration’s decision on Monday to designate a group it calls the “Cartel de los Soles,” which it alleges is led by Maduro, as a foreign terrorist organization.
An unnamed U.S. official cited in the Axios report stated that a date for the potential call has not been scheduled but that discussions are “in the planning stages.” The White House has not issued a public statement confirming plans for a conversation between the two leaders.
The U.S. government’s designation of the “Cartel de los Soles” on Monday authorizes the president to implement new sanctions targeting assets and infrastructure linked to the group. A U.S. official statement claimed the organization is headed by Maduro and other senior figures within the Venezuelan government. The United States has previously stated it considers Maduro’s government illegitimate, citing the results of the country’s last presidential election.
In response, the Venezuelan government has publicly denied the existence of the group. A statement from officials in Caracas called the U.S. designation a “despicable lie” and “nonexistent.” The Venezuelan government further stated the action was designed to justify an “illegitimate and illegal intervention against Venezuela.”
The Axios report also quoted an unnamed U.S. official who addressed the possibility of direct U.S. action. “Nobody is planning to go in and shoot him or snatch him — at this point. I wouldn’t say never, but that’s not the plan right now,” the official told the news outlet.
U.S. policy toward Venezuela has included increased economic and diplomatic pressure. Since August, the Trump administration has ordered a naval deployment in the Caribbean off Venezuela’s coast and authorized strikes on vessels in the region that U.S. officials identified as being involved in narcotics trafficking.
