‘Wherever, whenever they want’: Nicolas Maduro says Venezuela open to dialogue with US — what he said

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday said he was open to working with Washington, weeks after the United States threatened action and carried out strikes on alleged drug boats off the Venezuelan coast.

Speaking on state television, Maduro said Venezuela was willing to talk to the United States on issues such as drug trafficking, oil and migration. “Wherever they want and whenever they want,” he said, when asked about dialogue with Washington.




At the same time, Maduro avoided giving a clear answer on claims made by US president Donald Trump that American forces had attacked a dock in Venezuela used by alleged drug boats. Asked directly whether the attack had taken place, Maduro said it was “something we could talk about in a few days.”

Earlier this week, Trump said the United States had struck and destroyed a docking area used by Venezuelan drug boats.

“There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,” Trump told reporters.

If confirmed, the strike would be the first known land attack linked to the US campaign against drug trafficking from Latin America. For weeks, Trump has warned that ground strikes against drug cartels in the region could begin soon.

Since September, US forces have also carried out several strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean.