Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, under heavy pressure from the Trump administration, says he wants to open talks with the White House on how to combat drug trafficking, per the AP. Maduro, in an interview with Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet that aired on state TV, reiterated his assertion that the US wants to force a government change in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves.
"What are they seeking? It is clear that they seek to impose themselves through threats, intimidation, and force," Maduro said, referring to a monthslong pressure campaign that began with a massive military deployment to the Caribbean Sea in August. He said it's time for the two nations to "start talking seriously, with data in hand," adding that he would give US companies access to his nation's oil. "If they want oil, Venezuela is ready for US investment, like with Chevron, whenever they want it, wherever they want it, and however they want it."
Chevron Corp. is the only major oil company exporting Venezuelan crude to the US. Maduro's nation has the world's largest proven oil reserves. The interview was taped on New Year's Eve, the same day the US military announced strikes against five alleged drug-smuggling boats. The latest attacks bring the total number of known boat strikes to 35 and the number of people killed to at least 115, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration.
President Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States. Meanwhile, the CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels, per the AP, the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the boat strikes began. Asked about the operation on Venezuelan soil, Maduro said he could "talk about it in a few days."
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
