Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced his readiness to step down in 18 months. This happened during unofficial talks with US representatives, CNN reported, citing its source.
According to the source, the Maduro administration has approached representatives of US President Donald Trump with the aim of establishing a dialogue between the parties. It is noted that some US officials have considered this resignation proposal acceptable for resolving the conflict between Caracas and Washington. However, the White House is demanding the immediate resignation of the Venezuelan president.
On November 29, US President Donald Trump announced on the social platform TruthSocial the closure of airspace over Venezuela. Washington accuses the Venezuelan authorities of not being active enough in the fight against drug smuggling. The US Navy has deployed a strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, a nuclear submarine and more than 16,000 personnel to the Caribbean Sea. Since September, US forces have sunk at least 20 speedboats in the region, killing more than 80 people.
US media have repeatedly reported that the United States may soon launch strikes on Venezuelan territory. On November 27, Trump said that Washington "will very soon begin on the ground" to combat drug trafficking from Venezuela, but did not provide details about possible military operations.