U.S. President Donald Trump has instructed his special representative Richard Grenell to cease diplomatic contacts with Venezuela, reports The New York Times, according to LETA.
On Monday, officials told the publication that during a meeting with senior military officials last Thursday, Trump ordered Grenell to stop negotiations with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and all other diplomatic contacts with Venezuela.
According to the newspaper, the reason for this decision was Trump's dissatisfaction with Maduro's refusal to voluntarily relinquish power in accordance with U.S. demands, as well as the refusal of Venezuelan officials to acknowledge their involvement in drug trafficking.
U.S. officials reported that the Trump administration has prepared several military scenarios in case of a possible escalation of conflict with Venezuela.
It was previously reported that the Trump administration chose Venezuela as a primary target in its fight against drug trafficking, despite the fact that most illegal drugs entering the U.S. are of Mexican origin or are smuggled through Mexico.
The Trump administration has deployed military ships and aircraft to the Caribbean region, where these forces have struck several small vessels off the coast of Venezuela, accusing them of drug smuggling intended for entry into the U.S. As a result of these strikes, at least 21 people were killed.
Maduro claims that the true aim of Trump's actions is regime change in Venezuela. In response, Venezuela has deployed thousands of soldiers along its land and maritime borders and has mobilized thousands of people into civilian militias.
The U.S. does not recognize Maduro as the winner of the 2024 presidential election. The victory declared by Maduro has also been rejected by the Venezuelan opposition and many countries around the world, considering the elections unfair.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized Maduro as a fugitive from justice, as federal charges have been filed against him in the U.S. for drug trafficking. Rubio also stated that the U.S. has increased the reward to $50 million for information that leads to Maduro's arrest.
