Page 2 - Venezuela

Trump may hold talks with Maduro as US aircraft carrier reaches Caribbean

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the US may be having some discussions with Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro, a potential diplomatic avenue as the US further builds up its military presence near the South American country with the arrival of its most advanced aircraft carrier. Trump didn't offer details about the possible discussions with Maduro, but he said Venezuela would like to talk." The development comes as the Trump administration has carried out a series of military strikes against vessels suspected of transporting drugs. The arrival of the USS Gerald R Ford and other warships, announced by the Navy in a statement, marks a major moment in what the administration insists is a counterdrug operation but has been seen as an escalating pressure tactic against Maduro. When asked Sunday what he meant when he said Maduro wants to talk, Trump simply said: What does it mean? You tell me, I don't know. I'll talk to anybody," he added a few moments later. "We'll see what ..

Made 'progress' on stopping flow of drugs from Venezuela, says Trump

US has called Venezuela's leader, President Nicolas Maduro, illegitimate and the head of a drug-trafficking network

Colombia to suspend intelligence ties with US over strikes on drug vessels

Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered his nation's security forces Tuesday to stop sharing intelligence with the United States, until the Trump administration stops its strikes on suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean, as relations deteriorate between the nations that were once close partners in the fight against drug trafficking. In a message on X, Petro wrote that Colombia's military must immediately ends communications and other agreements with U.S. security agencies" until the U.S. ceases its attacks on speedboats suspected of carrying drugs, that critics have likened to extrajudicial executions. Petro wrote that the fight against drugs must be subordinated to the human rights of the Caribbean people. It wasn't immediately clear what kind of information Colombia will stop sharing with the United States. At least 75 people have been killed by the U.S. military in strikes in international waters since August, according to figures supplied by the Trump administration. The

US strikes another suspected drug boat in Pacific, killing all 4 onboard

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday that the US military carried out another strike on a boat he said was carrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing all four people aboard the vessel, as the Trump administration pursues its divisive campaign against drug cartels in the waters off South America. Hegseth said in a social media post that intelligence determined the craft was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics. He said the strike was conducted in international waters and no US forces were harmed. A video posted by Hegseth shows a boat exploding into flames and smoke. The Trump administration has been conducting a nearly two-month campaign in the waters off of South America, while building up US military forces in the region. This has fueled speculation that the moves are aimed at ousting Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro, whom the US has accused of narcoterrorism. The Trump administration has shown no evidence to suppor

Venezuela moves to cancel energy deals with Trinidad over US warship

Venezuela's vice president said Monday that energy agreements with Trinidad and Tobago should be canceled over what she described as hostile actions by the island nation. Trinidad is now hosting one of the US warships involved in a controversial campaign to destroy Venezuelan speedboats allegedly carrying drugs to the United States. On Sunday, the USS Gravely, a destroyer fitted with guided missiles, arrived in Trinidad to conduct joint exercises with Trinidad's navy. Venezuelan authorities described Trinidad's decision to host the ship as a provocation, while Trinidad's government has said that joint exercises with the US happen regularly. The prime minister of Trinidad has decided to join the war mongering agenda of the United States, Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said on national television Monday. Rodriguez, who is also Venezuela's minister of hydrocarbons, said she would ask President Nicolas Maduro to withdraw from a 2015 agreement that enables neighboring count

US warship docks in Trinidad and Tobago to increase pressure on Venezuela

A US warship has docked in Trinidad and Tobago's capital as the Trump administration boosts military pressure on neighbouring Venezuela and its President Nicols Maduro. The arrival of the USS Gravely, a guided missile destroyer, in the capital of the Caribbean nation is in addition to the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, which is moving closer to Venezuela. Maduro criticised the movement of the carrier as an attempt by the US government to fabricate "a new eternal war against his country. US President Donald Trump has accused Maduro, without providing evidence, of being the leader of the organised crime gang Tren de Aragua. Government officials from the twin-island nation and the US said the massive warship will remain in Trinidad until Thursday so both countries can carry out training exercises. A senior military official in Trinidad and Tobago told The Associated Press that the move was only recently scheduled. The official spoke under condition of anonymity due to lack of ..

US flies supersonic B-1 bombers near Venezuela coast amid drugs crackdown

The U.S. military flew a pair of supersonic, heavy bombers up to the coast of Venezuela, a little over a week after another group of American bombers made a similar journey as part of a training exercise to simulate an attack. The U.S. military has built up an unusually large force in the Caribbean Sea and the waters off of Venezuela, raising speculation that President Donald Trump could try to topple Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro. Maduro faces charges of narcoterrorism in the U.S. Adding to the speculation, the U.S. military since early September has been carrying out lethal strikes on vessels in the waters off Venezuela that Trump says are trafficking drugs. According to flight tracking data, a pair of B-1 Lancer bombers took off from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas on Thursday and flew through the Caribbean and up to the coast of Venezuela. A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations, confirmed that a training flight of B-1s to

US eyes land strikes next after Venezuela drug boat attacks, says Trump

Striking targets on land would be a major escalation in tensions with Venezuela. In September, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro ordered indefinite deployments of troops and assets across five state

Trump warns China over fentanyl smuggling via Venezuela ahead of meeting Xi

Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on October 30 on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Busan, South Korea

US bombings fuel speculation over disappearances of fishermen in Trinidad

Opposition leaders in Trinidad are questioning Washington's offensive, echoing concerns expressed by US scholars and non-governmental organizations

Venezuela mobilises troops, militia amid US military buildup in Caribbean

President Nicolás Maduro positioned forces along the Caribbean coast and called up civilian militias as tensions rise over Washington's escalating operations in the region

US strikes another boat carrying drugs off Venezuela, killing 6: Trump

President Donald Trump says the US struck another small boat that he accused of carrying drugs in the waters off Venezuela. The Republican president said Tuesday in a post on social media that six people aboard the vessel were killed in the strike and no US forces were harmed. It's the fifth deadly strike in the Caribbean as the Trump administration has asserted that it is treating alleged drug traffickers as unlawful combatants who must be met with military force. Frustration with the administration has been growing on Capitol Hill among members of both parties. Some Republicans are seeking more information from the White House on the legal justification and details of the strikes. Democrats contend the strikes violate US and international law.

Venezuela shuts embassy in Norway after Machado wins Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by an independent committee appointed by Norway's parliament, which is not related to the Executive's foreign affairs policy

US, Venezuela clash at emergency UN meeting over strikes in Caribbean

The United States clashed with Venezuela and its allies at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday, with the Trump administration vowing to use its full might to eradicate drug cartels and the Maduro government saying it anticipates an armed attack. Venezuela asked for the meeting of the UN's most powerful body following deadly US military strikes on four boats that Washington says were carrying drugs. Venezuela accused US President Donald Trump of seeking to topple President Nicols Maduro and threatening peace, security and stability regionally and internationally. The Trump administration has said three of the targeted boats set out to sea from Venezuela. The strikes, which the US said killed 21 people, followed a buildup of US maritime forces in the Caribbean unlike any seen in recent times. The belligerent action and rhetoric of the U.S. government objectively point to the fact that we are facing a situation in which it is rational to anticipate that in the ve

Nobel winner vilified by Maduro vows to continue her fight for Venezuela

Machado's prize is unlikely to help improve the circumstances for her supporters and opposition leaders, whose ranks have thinned under a brutal crackdown that's sent many to jail or into exile

Venezuelan Nobel laureate accepted 2025 Peace Prize in 'my honour': Trump

Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy

Machado dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump for supporting Venezuelans' cause

Machado dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump for supporting Venezuelans' cause

Meet Maria Corina Machado, who pipped Trump to win 2025 Nobel Peace Prize

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado wins the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her decades-long, non-violent fight to restore democracy under Nicolas Maduro's repressive regime

US strikes another vessel off Venezuela allegedly carrying illegal drugs

Trump praised the Navy's efforts to combat what he called 'cartel terrorists'

US preparing for potential drone strikes on drug targets in Venezuela

Such plans could mark an escalation after US military strikes destroyed at least three small boasts near the Venezuelan coast in recent weeks, likely killing all individuals on board