Maduro and Trump spoke last week, according to The New York Times

U.S. President Donald Trump held a telephone conversation last week with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, The New York Times revealed on Friday. The call, seen as a gesture of rapprochement amid heightened hostilities between the two countries, included the possibility of a future meeting between the two leaders on U.S. soil; if so, it would mark a significant shift in relations between Washington and Caracas. However, according to the newspaper, the meeting has not yet taken place and there are no specific plans for one yet.

The contact comes at a time of heightened political and military tension. The United States has reinforced its presence in the Caribbean, while Venezuela denounces movements it views as a direct threat against its president, Nicolás Maduro. According to The New York Times, the conversation opens the door to a diplomatic path that contrasts sharply with the accusations of drug trafficking against Maduro and his military leadership, or the constant veiled threat of possible U.S. intervention on Venezuelan soil.

That ambiguous announcement—it is unclear how the United States would carry out such a threat—once again highlighted the tension and uncertainty that have marked relations between Caracas and Washington in recent months. The hostility, which is reaching unprecedented levels, has been growing since Maduro remained in power despite doubts about the legitimacy of his reelection after last July’s elections.

Trump maintains his commitment to a growing military presence in the Caribbean with thousands of soldiers, dozens of aircraft, and the deployment of his largest aircraft carrier. Officially, the military mobilization is in response to the fight against drug trafficking, but according to analysts and the tycoon’s own entourage, it has become clear that the ultimate goal is to remove Maduro from power.

It will not be an easy task. Chavismo has responded by deploying its military and training the civilian population to defend themselves against any attack. The message from Maduro and his circle is one of unity and resistance in the face of “imperialism.” For the moment, moreover, there is no evidence of rifts between the military leadership and the regime, one of the objectives that Trump’s strategy is presumably seeking. “We are forced to be united! We cannot fail at this decisive moment for the existence of the Republic,” the Chavista leader cried out on Tuesday at a march that brought together thousands of supporters. “If the homeland calls, the homeland will have our lives if necessary!”

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