Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said his government is open to negotiating with the United States on measures to combat drug trafficking but declined to address reports of a CIA drone strike at a Venezuelan dock. The interview, taped on New Year’s Eve, followed U.S. announcements of strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats — 35 known strikes and at least 115 deaths, according to the U.S. administration. Maduro reiterated accusations that Washington seeks regime change and access to Venezuela’s oil while signaling readiness for U.S. investment. The reported CIA operation, if verified, would mark a significant escalation in pressure on Caracas.
Maduro Open to U.S. Talks on Drug Trafficking; Declines To Address Reported CIA Strike
President Nicolas Maduro joins a rally marking the anniversary of the Battle of Santa Ines, which took place during Venezuela's 19th-century Federal War, in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
CARACAS — Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro said his government is willing to negotiate a bilateral agreement with the United States to combat drug trafficking, but he declined to comment on media reports that the CIA carried out a drone strike at a Venezuelan docking area.
In a pre-recorded interview broadcast on state television and taped on New Year’s Eve, Maduro told Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet that Washington has long sought regime change in Caracas and access to Venezuela’s oil. He described the U.S. pressure campaign as months long, beginning with a significant U.S. military deployment to the Caribbean Sea last August.
Maduro: "What are they seeking? It is clear that they seek to impose themselves through threats, intimidation and force. It is time for both nations to start talking seriously, with data in hand."
Maduro said Venezuela is prepared to discuss a serious, data-driven pact to tackle drug trafficking and signaled openness to renewed U.S. investment in the oil sector, citing Chevron as an example: "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." Chevron remains the only major oil company exporting Venezuelan crude to the United States; Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves.
The interview coincided with a U.S. military announcement that strikes were carried out against five suspected drug-smuggling boats on the same day. The Trump administration says the latest actions bring the total number of known boat strikes to 35 and the number of people killed to at least 115, with Venezuelans among the casualties. The administration has defended the strikes as a necessary escalation to curb the flow of drugs and has described the operations as part of an "armed conflict" with drug cartels. The strikes began off Venezuela’s Caribbean coast and later expanded into the eastern Pacific.
Separately, two people familiar with classified details told reporters that the CIA conducted a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by drug traffickers. If confirmed, that would be the first known direct U.S. operation on Venezuelan territory since the boat strikes began and a notable intensification of pressure on Maduro, who faces narco-terrorism charges in U.S. courts. Maduro declined to comment on the reported CIA operation, saying he could "talk about it in a few days."
This episode underscores rising tensions between Caracas and Washington while also opening a potential — if fraught — channel for cooperation on narcotics trafficking. Both the veracity of the reported CIA operation and its implications for U.S.-Venezuela relations remain unresolved.
Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed from Washington.
Help us improve.
