Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has few remaining avenues to step down with U.S.-guaranteed safe passage after a brief call last month in which U.S. President Donald Trump rejected several of his requests, sources said.
The call, on November 21, came after months of increasing U.S. pressure on Venezuela, including strikes against alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean, repeated threats by Trump to extend military operations to land and the designation of Cartel de los Soles, a group the Trump administration says includes Maduro, as a foreign terrorist organization.
Maduro and his government have always denied all criminal accusations and say the U.S. is seeking regime change to take control of Venezuela’s vast natural resources, including oil.
Conditions for Stepping Down
Maduro told Trump he would step down if he and his family received full legal amnesty, including lifted sanctions and closure of his ICC case, sources said. He also requested that sanctions be removed for over 100 Venezuelan officials accused of abuses, drug trafficking, or corruption.
Maduro asked that Vice President Delcy Rodriguez run an interim government ahead of new elections, according to the sources.
Trump’s Response
Trump rejected most of his requests on the call, which lasted less than 15 minutes, but told Maduro he had a week to leave Venezuela for the destination of his choice alongside his family members.
That safe passage expired on Friday, prompting Trump to declare on Saturday that Venezuela’s airspace was closed, sources said.
The Trump administration has said it does not recognize Maduro, in power since 2013, as Venezuela’s legitimate president.
A Washington-based source briefed on the Trump administration’s internal discussions did not rule out the possibility of a negotiated exit for Maduro, but stressed that significant disagreements remained and important details were still unresolved.
U.S. has increased its reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, and is offering $25 million for several other top officials, including Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, who face U.S. drug-trafficking indictments they deny. Maduro’s government has since requested another call with Trump.
(With inputs from Reuters)
