WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last week, The New York Times (NYT) reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The two leaders discussed the possibility of an in-person meeting, though no arrangements have been made, according to the report. The report also noted that both the White House and the Venezuelan government declined to comment on the call.
The phone call, which involved U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, came days before a State Department designation came into effect. The designation labeled Maduro as the leader of the Cartel de los Soles, a foreign terrorist organization designated by the Trump administration, said the newspaper.
Two individuals close to the Venezuelan government also confirmed that a direct call between the two leaders had taken place, it added.
In his Thanksgiving remarks to U.S. troops on Thursday night, Trump suggested that the United States could "very soon" take action by land against drug trafficking networks in Venezuela.
"It's about 85 percent stopped by sea ... and we'll be starting to stop them by land," Trump said from his Mar-a-Lago estate. "Also, the land is easier, but that's going to start very soon."
Since early September, the Pentagon has carried out more than 20 known strikes on alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean and East Pacific, killing more than 80 people abroad.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, a major aircraft carrier, arrived in the Caribbean last week, intensifying U.S. military presence in the region that has not been seen for at least three decades.
Maduro has denied any involvement in drug trafficking, accusing the United States of "fabricating" a pretext for a war aimed at regime change in Venezuela. Enditem
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