US and Venezuelan Presidents Donald Trump and Nicolas Maduro had a phone call last week. The leaders discussed the possibility of a bilateral meeting in the United States, the New York Times reported, citing its sources.
The conversation took place over the weekend in the presence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the report said. However, according to one of the sources, no agreement was reached to hold a meeting between the leaders.
The phone call took place a few days before the State Department's decision to designate the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns), associated with Maduro, as a “foreign terrorist organization“, the publication notes. Caracas responded by accusing the United States of "absurd lies" and saying that no such cartel exists.
Axios previously reported Trump's plans to talk to Maduro amid escalating tensions. Such a move could be a sign that U.S. missile strikes or ground military action are not imminent, the sources said.
The "Cartel of the Suns" (Spanish: Cartel de los Soles) is an unofficial name used for years by U.S. law enforcement, journalists, and think tanks to refer to an alleged network of high-ranking Venezuelan officials and military personnel involved in drug trafficking. The name comes from the sun-shaped stars on the epaulets of generals. In 2005, the government of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez suspended cooperation with the US Drug Enforcement Agency, and since then Washington has regularly imposed sanctions on military and civilian officials and employees accused of involvement in drug trafficking.
In the spring of 2020, the US Department of Justice declared Maduro and several senior officials in the republic complicit in “narcoterrorism“ for collaborating with the Cartel of the Suns and offered a reward of $15 million for information leading to the arrest of the Venezuelan leader. In July 2025, the reward was increased to $50 million.
Despite contacts with the Venezuelan leader, the United States continues to build up its military presence in the Caribbean. In early August 2025, Trump authorized the use of force against Latin American drug cartels, primarily targeting Venezuelan ones. By the end of the summer, a US Navy flotilla, including groups of landing ships and three destroyers, appeared off the coast of the Latin American country.
The US head of state also spoke of readiness to attack Venezuelan territory to stop the flow of drugs. Maduro, in turn, called on the Venezuelan air force to "be ready" to defend the country, claiming that 82% of Venezuelans are ready to defend the country "with weapons in hand".
In November, Reuters, citing US officials, reported that Washington was considering options for overthrowing the Venezuelan leader. Previously, the capture of Maduro was mentioned by the "Financial Times" among three possible scenarios for an attack on Venezuela.