Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has asked to open direct discussions with the United States following tensions over a recent military strike in the Caribbean. In a letter sent to President Trump earlier this month, Maduro invited Special Envoy Richard Grenell to meet and discuss accusations linking his government to organized crime.
The letter, dated September 6, was confirmed by Venezuela on Sunday after Vice President Delcy Rodriguez shared the full text on her Telegram account. She said the government decided to publish it after parts of the document were leaked to the US press, reports The Hill.
“It reflects the irrefutable truth of Venezuela: we are a territory free of illicit activities, peaceful and secure,” Rodriguez wrote, adding that “the military threat against Venezuela, the Caribbean, and South America must end. The outreach came just days after the US military struck a boat in the Caribbean that Trump said was carrying mass amounts of drugs. The Dominican Republic said it recovered over 1,000 kilograms of cocaine from the wreckage.
In the letter, Maduro rejected what he called “false accusations of links with mafias and drug trafficking gangs by high-ranking Venezuelan authorities.” He argued such claims risked pushing the two countries toward armed conflict. “This is the most egregious instance of disinformation against our nation, intended to justify an escalation to armed conflict that would inflict catastrophic damage across the entire continent,” he wrote.
To support his case, Maduro attached maps from international organizations that tracked regional drug routes. “This data conclusively demonstrates that Venezuela is a territory free of drug production and a country not relevant in the field of narcotics,” he said, pointing to years of supposed police and military efforts.
The Venezuelan leader called for “constructive dialogue and mutual understanding” and appealed to Trump to reset relations on a peaceful footing. “President, I hope that together we can defeat the falsehoods that have sullied our relationship, which must be historic and peaceful, as always envisioned by our Liberator, Simón Bolívar,” the letter read.
“These and other issues will always be open for a direct and frank conversation with your special envoy, Rick Grenell, to overcome media noise and fake news,” he said.
The letter, dated September 6, was confirmed by Venezuela on Sunday after Vice President Delcy Rodriguez shared the full text on her Telegram account. She said the government decided to publish it after parts of the document were leaked to the US press, reports The Hill.
“It reflects the irrefutable truth of Venezuela: we are a territory free of illicit activities, peaceful and secure,” Rodriguez wrote, adding that “the military threat against Venezuela, the Caribbean, and South America must end. The outreach came just days after the US military struck a boat in the Caribbean that Trump said was carrying mass amounts of drugs. The Dominican Republic said it recovered over 1,000 kilograms of cocaine from the wreckage.
In the letter, Maduro rejected what he called “false accusations of links with mafias and drug trafficking gangs by high-ranking Venezuelan authorities.” He argued such claims risked pushing the two countries toward armed conflict. “This is the most egregious instance of disinformation against our nation, intended to justify an escalation to armed conflict that would inflict catastrophic damage across the entire continent,” he wrote.
To support his case, Maduro attached maps from international organizations that tracked regional drug routes. “This data conclusively demonstrates that Venezuela is a territory free of drug production and a country not relevant in the field of narcotics,” he said, pointing to years of supposed police and military efforts.
The Venezuelan leader called for “constructive dialogue and mutual understanding” and appealed to Trump to reset relations on a peaceful footing. “President, I hope that together we can defeat the falsehoods that have sullied our relationship, which must be historic and peaceful, as always envisioned by our Liberator, Simón Bolívar,” the letter read.
“These and other issues will always be open for a direct and frank conversation with your special envoy, Rick Grenell, to overcome media noise and fake news,” he said.
