Trump reportedly gave Maduro ultimatum to relinquish power in Venezuela | Nicolás Maduro
In his last call, Donald Trump reportedly gave Nicolás Maduro an ultimatum to leave power immediately; but Venezuela’s authoritarian leader refused, demanding a “global amnesty” for himself and his allies.
On Sunday, the US president confirmed the call took place, telling reporters: “I can’t say whether it went well or badly, it was a phone call.”
Neither the United States nor the Venezuelan government has offered further details about the issues discussed during the highly unusual meeting, which is thought to have taken place on November 21.
But sources he told the Miami Herald The US president had sent a “clear message” to his South American counterpart, who has been the focus of a four-month pressure campaign in which Trump ordered a massive naval deployment off Venezuela’s northern coast.
Trump reportedly said, “You can save yourself and those closest to you, but you must leave the country immediately,” and offered safe passage to Maduro, his wife, and his son “only if he agrees to resign immediately.”
But the Venezuelan president reportedly refused to resign immediately and allegedly made a series of counter-demands, including immunity from prosecution worldwide and being allowed to give up political control but retain control of the armed forces.
The newspaper said there was no other direct contact between Trump and Maduro, but Maduro reportedly requested a second meeting last weekend after Trump declared Venezuelan airspace “completely closed.” Miami Herald newspaper said that the first discussion was initiated by Brazil, Qatar and Türkiye and said, “The Maduro government… received no response.”
Despite the leaked claim that Trump issued an ultimatum to Maduro, many observers suspect that the US president intends to back up these threats with large-scale military action.
“Maduro and many of his supporters view US military threats as a bluff,” said a source in regular contact with senior Venezuelan officials. he told the Wall Street Journal last month.
The Venezuelan leader has survived a series of crises since his election in 2013, including Trump’s first-term “maximum pressure” campaign, several rounds of mass protests, a historic economic collapse, an assassination attempt in 2018 and an apparent defeat in last year’s presidential election, which Maduro is believed to have lost to former diplomat Edmundo González.
The Wall Street Journal on Sunday urged the Trump administration to continue increasing pressure on Venezuela, saying it believed “it is in the U.S. national interest to remove Maduro.” The editorial board said: “If Maduro refuses to leave and Trump gives up on removing him from office, the losers will be Trump and the credibility of the United States.”
In an effort to find a peaceful solution, Colombian President Gustavo Petro has offered the Colombian city of Cartagena as a possible location for talks between the Maduro regime and the Venezuelan opposition.
In a letter to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries published by Venezuelan state media on Sunday, Maduro accused the United States of “trying to seize Venezuela’s largest oil reserves on the planet using lethal military force.”
