MIAMI - A clear pathway for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to retain power in Caracas is narrowing, as reports indicate a high-level call between U.S. President Donald Trump and his South American counterpart took place on Sunday.
President Trump confirmed that the call did take place, stating to reporters, "I wouldn’t say it went well or badly, it was a phone call."
A dangerous game of chicken has been played over the course of the last four months between the two leaders, as the Pentagon deploys a large collection of military assets along the Venezuelan coastline in the South Caribbean in an effort to reduce the flow of illicit narcotics flooding into the United States.
More recently, however, executive actions on the part of the Trump administration suggest a more concerted effort by officials in Washington to exert pressure on Nicolás Maduro to resign from the Venezuelan presidency and step down from power in Miraflores–the official administrative residence of the Venezuelan president.
According to sources close to the White House, the U.S. president conveyed a "blunt message" to the Venezuelan leader during the call, urging Maduro–and those close to him–to depart the Venezuelan mainland after speculation swirled earlier last week that Maduro was considering an escape route south across the northern Brazilian border.
Sources familiar with the matter and the phone call between the two heads of state have reportedly told the Miami Herald that Maduro refused President Trump's warnings, but instead demanded several requests from the U.S. president, including "global amnesty" for himself and his allies in Caracas.
An investigation into potential human rights violations and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC) was opened against Maduro in 2017, following a brutal crackdown by the regime on demonstrators in Caracas, alleging arbitrary arrests by the government, the excessive use of force, and the targeted persecution of the regime's political opposition.
"We want peace, but peace with sovereignty, equality, freedom! We do not want a slave’s peace, nor the peace of colonies!" Maduro declared to supporters at a rally in Caracas.
Last weekend, the Trump administration announced that Venezuelan airspace had been "closed in its entirety", sparking a strong rebuke from the government in Caracas.
The regime appears to settle on the belief that the threats of U.S. strikes on Venezuelan territory, or the potential for a U.S. intervention on Venezuelan soil, is nothing short of a "bluff" from the administration in Washington.

