Maduro Reappears at Caracas Coffee Awards as Tensions with U.S. Rise; Trump Confirms Phone Call

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro made his first public appearance in several days on Sunday, attending an annual specialty-coffee awards ceremony in eastern Caracas and ending widespread speculation that he had left the country amid growing tensions with the United States.

Maduro, who typically appears frequently on national television, had not been seen publicly since Wednesday, when he posted a short video on his Telegram channel showing himself driving through Caracas. On Sunday he sat before an audience to present medals to coffee growers, sampled several brews and delivered brief remarks that did not directly address the diplomatic crisis.

At the close of the event he declared Venezuela “indestructible, untouchable, unbeatable” while speaking about the national economy — a rhetorical nod to the wider standoff with Washington.

Diplomatic and military backdrop

The United States has deployed more than a dozen warships and roughly 15,000 troops to the region in an operation Washington says aims to disrupt drug trafficking. Caracas views the activity as pressure intended to weaken Maduro’s government. Reports indicate U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed he had spoken by phone with Maduro; Trump described the exchange only as a call and declined to characterize it as positive or negative.

Senior Venezuelan officials have not publicly detailed the phone conversation. Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, declined to discuss the call during a separate press briefing and instead announced that the assembly would open an inquiry into recent U.S. maritime strikes on suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean that, Venezuelan authorities say, have killed more than 80 people.

Allegations and response

Rodríguez called the maritime strikes “murder,” arguing there was no declared war and that those killed had the right to due process. He said the assembly will form a special commission to investigate reports that U.S. forces carried out follow-up strikes after initial attacks failed to kill everyone aboard certain vessels. Rodríguez said he had met with families of victims but did not provide a casualty figure pending the inquiry.

In a letter dated November 30 to the secretary-general of OPEC, Maduro accused the United States of making "constant and repeating express threats" that endanger Venezuelan oil production and global markets. Venezuela’s foreign minister posted the letter on social media and vowed the country would defend its energy resources.

Human rights context

The Maduro government has previously faced allegations of extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has reported that Venezuelans subject to repression are often denied fair trials, and rights groups say more than 50 people were detained for political reasons in October alone. The government denies these allegations.

Requests for comment on the recent allegations and the OPEC letter were directed to U.S. and Venezuelan officials; both governments have provided limited public detail about the incidents and the phone conversation between their leaders.