Trump confirms conversation with Venezuela's president

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday that he had spoken with Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, but did not provide details on what the two leaders discussed.

"I don't want to comment on it. The answer is yes," Trump said when asked if he had spoken with Maduro. He was speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One.

The New York Times first reported Trump had spoken with Maduro last month and discussed a possible meeting between them in the United States.

"I wouldn't say it went well or badly, it was a phone call," Trump said regarding the conversation.

The revelation of the phone call comes as Trump continues to use bellicose rhetoric regarding Venezuela, while also entertaining the possibility of diplomacy.

On Saturday, Trump said the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered "closed in its entirety", but gave no further details, stirring anxiety and confusion in Caracas.

When asked whether his airspace comments meant strikes against Venezuela were imminent, Trump said, "Don't read anything into it."

Reuters has reported that the options under US consideration include an attempt to overthrow Maduro, and that the US military is poised for a new phase of operations after a massive military buildup in the Caribbean and nearly three months of strikes on suspected drug boats off Venezuela's coast.

Human rights groups have condemned the strikes as illegal extrajudicial killings of civilians, and some US allies have expressed growing concerns that Washington may be violating international law.

Maduro and senior members of his administration have not commented on the call. Asked about it on Sunday, Jorge Rodriguez, the head of Venezuela's National Assembly, said the call was not the topic of his news conference, where he announced a lawmaker investigation into US boat strikes in the Caribbean.

Meanwhile, in a letter to the secretary-general of OPEC, Maduro warned that the US military threats in the Caribbean could jeopardize global energy market stability.

The deployment of more than 14 US warships and 15,000 troops in the Caribbean Sea is creating a climate of tension that could disrupt regional security and affect energy supplies, he said.

Venezuela will remain firm in defending its energy resources and will not yield to external pressure, he added.

Agencies - Xinhua