Maduro Signals Deal With US Amid Drug War Escalation

Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro is now signaling he's open to cutting a deal with the United States on drug trafficking and oil. After months of U.S. military operations targeting narco-trafficking networks linked to his regime, Maduro is suddenly talking compromise. But make no mistake: this is a regime under fire, both literally and economically, and it’s now scrambling to survive.

In a New Year’s Eve interview aired on Venezuelan state TV, Maduro declared he’s “ready” to negotiate with the U.S. on combating narcotics and allowing further American investment in his failing oil sector. “If they want oil, Venezuela is ready,” he said, even offering to expand operations “like with Chevron... whenever they want it, wherever they want it, and however they want it.”

Maduro’s olive branch comes just days after U.S. kinetic strikes reportedly killed five traffickers aboard two vessels tied to designated terrorist organizations. Since September, at least 114 people have been killed in U.S. military and intelligence-led operations aimed at drug routes in the Caribbean and Pacific many directly connected to Venezuela’s shadow economy.

Key developments:

• Chevron remains the only U.S. company legally operating in Venezuela’s energy sector under special license.

• President Trump confirmed a strike on a Venezuelan port used for drug smuggling but did not specify whether it was a military or CIA-led action.

• Maduro's regime has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S., accused of using stolen U.S. assets to fund narco-trafficking and terrorism.

Maduro, who has long accused Washington of trying to orchestrate a regime change, complained that the U.S. aims “to impose themselves through threats, intimidation and force.” But what’s changed is not Washington’s stance it’s Maduro’s weakness.

With sanctions strangling his economy and his military supply lines eroding, Maduro may be seeking a lifeline from the very country he’s blamed for Venezuela’s collapse. He’s not talking from a position of strength. He’s talking because the pressure is finally working.

Let’s be clear: Venezuela’s regime is a narco-dictatorship propped up by terror networks, paramilitaries, and black-market oil. Any deal made by the U.S. must come with non-negotiable terms full dismantling of drug operations, real political reforms, and immediate access to humanitarian aid for the Venezuelan people, not just more empty promises and photo ops.

President Trump’s decisive actions in the region sanctions, strikes, and asset seizures are sending a message: America will not be blackmailed by socialist thugs hiding behind oil barrels and drug routes.

The question now is whether Washington will take Maduro’s latest offer seriously or press harder until the regime finally cracks.

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