US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he had a “long call” with Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, marking the first known contact between the two leaders since the capture of Nicolás Maduro in a US military op.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump described the conversation as "great". “We just had a great conversation today, and she's a terrific person,” he said. “We had a call — a long call. We discussed a lot of things, and I think we're getting along very well with Venezuela," Trump added, as quoted by AFP.
Later, Rodríguez also confirmed the call calling it 'productive and courteous', reported AFP, citing a Telegram Post.
Talking about Venezuela, Trump also said that a person has been arrested for leaking details of the op. "The leaker on President Trump's Venezuela operations has been PUT IN JAIL, and more leakers are being hunted down," he said.
"The leaker was found, and is in jail RIGHT NOW. The leaker on Venezuela. A very bad leaker." also said Trump, adding, "Will probably be in jail for a long time."
The US military launched a rapid overnight military operation against Venezuela on January 3, capturing Maduro and his wife after months of US allegations that his government was tied to narco-terrorism. The strike, part of a larger US campaign involving air attacks and incursions against targets linked to drug trafficking, culminated in Maduro’s removal and transfer to US custody.
The operation followed earlier US actions on alleged Caribbean drug boats and facilities, including reported strikes on vessels and targeted sites this week.
Maduro has long denied leading a drug cartel, accusing the US of using the “war on drugs” as a pretext to oust him from power and to gain influence over Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. Despite coups, mass protests, army revolts and harsh economic sanctions over the years, Maduro had remained in power until the US intervention.
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