{"id":2528390,"date":"2026-01-02T06:32:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T11:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/maduro-says-venezuela-is-ready-to-discuss-an-agreement-to-combat-drug-trafficking\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T06:34:40","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T11:34:40","slug":"maduro-says-venezuela-is-ready-to-discuss-an-agreement-to-combat-drug-trafficking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/maduro-says-venezuela-is-ready-to-discuss-an-agreement-to-combat-drug-trafficking\/","title":{"rendered":"Maduro says Venezuela is ready to discuss an agreement to &#8216;combat drug trafficking&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmaduro-says-venezuela-is-ready-to-discuss-an-agreement-to-combat-drug-trafficking%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2528390&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro said his government is willing to negotiate with the U.S.on measures to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-names-official-to-help-reverse-trump-era-immigration-policies\/\" title=\"Biden Names Official To Help Reverse Trump...Era Immigration Policies\">combat drug trafficking<\/a> and to discuss U.S. oil investment in Venezuela. He made the offer in a New Year&#8217;s Eve interview with journalist Ignacio Ramonet &#8211; filmed during a car ride &#8211; after recent U.S.military strikes on <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >suspected drug-smuggling vessels<\/a> as part of Operation Southern Spear. Maduro criticized U.S. policy (calling the Monroe Doctrine outdated), denounced opposition leader Mar\u00eda Machado as widely rejected in Venezuela, and said the country would enter &#8220;serious conversations\u2026with data in hand&#8221; about drugs and oil, citing openness to companies such as Chevron. U.S. Southern Command reported lethal strikes on vessels it identified as linked to narco-trafficking, saying multiple suspected traffickers were killed.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Maduro says Venezuela is ready to discuss an agreement to &lsquo;combat drug trafficking&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2459859\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Venezuelan President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nicolas-maduro\/\">Nicolas Maduro<\/a> announced that his regime was open to negotiations with President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> to come to a deal regarding drug trafficking.<\/p>\n<p>Maduro&rsquo;s admission comes after United States military strikes on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/survivors-reported-after-latest-u-s-military-strike-on-suspected-venezuelan-drug-cartel-boat\/\" title=\"Survivors reported after latest U.S. ... ... on suspected ...n drug cartel boat\">suspected drug-trafficking vessels<\/a> in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean as part of Operation Southern Spear. Maduro announced he was ready to come to an agreement with the U.S. in an <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/maduro-says-venezuela-ready-make-deal-us-drugs-oil-after-military-strikes?intcmp=fb_fnc&amp;utm_campaign=trueanthem&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=facebook\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">interview<\/a> on Thursday on Venezuelan state television with journalist Ignacio Ramonet, according to Fox News.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4356127\/making-jobs-market-more-human-again\/\">Rising unemployment puts threat of AI competition in stark relief<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4355880\/europe-struggles-keep-pace-defensive-self-reliance\/\">Europe struggles to keep pace as US cracks the whip on defensive self-reliance<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4362559\/trump-ai-push-paying-off-making-up-failed-tariffs-gamble\/\">Trump&#8217;s all-in AI push is paying off handsomely, making up for his failed tariffs gamble at least somewhat<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Maduro recorded the interview in an unusual format, answering questions <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5smOORlDb9o\">during a car ride<\/a> on New Year&rsquo;s Eve with three other passengers, including Ramonet. In the backseat, a red baseball cap, similar in style to the famous &ldquo;Make America Great Again&rdquo; caps worn by President Donald Trump, was conspicuously visible on the seat between two passengers. It featured text in white capital letters which read, &ldquo;NO WAR, YES PEACE.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He spoke on a variety of topics with Ramonet, ranging from his rise to power and Venezuela&rsquo;s controversial 2024 presidential election to other political experiences. He then shifted the conversation to the rising tensions between <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/venezuela\/\">Venezuela<\/a> and the United States. He criticized the Trump administration&rsquo;s interest in the &ldquo;Monroe Doctrine,&rdquo; suggesting it is an outdated model and &ldquo;not viable in the 21st century, totally not viable,&rdquo; according to a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymotion.com\/video\/x9wwcjc\">translated transcript<\/a> of the interview.<\/p>\n<p>Maduro also criticized Maria Machado, Venezuela&rsquo;s opposition leader and political opponent of Maduro&rsquo;s regime. Machado was the recipient of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of the U.S., Maduro said people need to know that &ldquo;95% rejects what is being done by the current government of the U.S., of militarily threatened Venezuela,&rdquo; <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymotion.com\/video\/x9wwcjc\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> Maduro. &ldquo;It is the immune reaction of the entire Venezuelan society. They need to know that this person that they have put as the chief of the right is very isolated and repudiated in Venezuela today. We could say the U.S. has no political force aligned in Venezuela because this lady named Maria Machado in Venezuela, called &lsquo;La Sayona&rsquo;, has the 85% of rejection of repudiation total of the Venezuela society never nor her, nor what she represents would have the capacity to rule this country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Later in the interview, Maduro said his country is ready to hold serious conversations with the Trump administration with &ldquo;data in hand,&rdquo; mentioning potential discussions involving drug trafficking and oil investments.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/m7dHhwmFxgY?si=inD-tmH8sI4Copfp\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>    <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The U.S. government knows, because we&rsquo;ve told many of their spokespeople, that if they want to seriously discuss an agreement to combat drug trafficking, we&rsquo;re ready,&rdquo; <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=m7dHhwmFxgY\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> Maduro. &ldquo;If they want oil, Venezuela is ready for U.S. investment, like with Chevron, whenever they want it, wherever they want it, and however they want it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Maduro&rsquo;s interview came after the latest strike by the U.S. military on suspected drug-trafficking vessels on Dec. 30 and Dec. 31. Southern Command posted on X about each strike and claimed eight people total were killed in the operation.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">On Dec. 31, at the direction of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SecWar<\/a> Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/late-breaking-video-trump-takes-out-big-batch-of-narco-terrorists-in-highly-effective-3-boat-strike\/\" title=\"Late Breaking Video: Trump Takes Out Big Batch of Narco Terrorists in Highly Effective 3...Boat ...\">narco-trafficking routes<\/a> and&hellip; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/4AE5u4cEff\">pic.twitter.com\/4AE5u4cEff<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Southcom\/status\/2006531145844867143?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 1, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4379454\/us-strike-drug-boat-convoy-overboard\/\"><strong>ALLEGED DRUG TRAFFICKERS JUMP OVERBOARD AFTER STRIKE ON BOAT CONVOY, US SAYS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;On Dec. 31, at the direction of<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SecWar\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> @SecWar<\/a> Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations,&rdquo; read the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/southcom\/status\/2006531145844867143?s=46\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">post<\/a>. &ldquo;Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and engaged in narco-trafficking. A total of five narco-terrorists were killed during these actions &ndash; three in the first vessel and two in the second.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Maduro brushed aside questions about the latest U.S. strike in the interview, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/maduro-says-venezuela-ready-make-deal-us-drugs-oil-after-military-strikes?intcmp=fb_fnc&amp;utm_campaign=trueanthem&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=facebook\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">saying<\/a> that he would &ldquo;talk about it in a few days.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Maduro: Venezuela open to U.S. drug talks<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2677,"featured_media":2528391,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-collage-h0k50r36b-1765410252616-e1765411797537.jpg?1767333352&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[69936,36244,36612,69935,50813],"class_list":["post-2528390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily","tag-anti-drug-cooperation","tag-drug-trafficking","tag-maduro","tag-us-venezuela-relations","tag-venezuela-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-collage-h0k50r36b-1765410252616-e1765411797537.jpg?1767333352&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2528390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2677"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2528390"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2528390\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2528394,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2528390\/revisions\/2528394"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2528391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2528390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2528390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2528390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}