(MENAFN- The Rio Times) Donald Trump has now confirmed what Caracas had only hinted at: he spoke by phone with Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.

On board Air Force One, the U.S. president brushed off questions with a line –“the answer is yes” – and refused to say what was discussed.

That small admission matters, because it shows Washington is willing to talk even while it tightens the screws. The public message remains hard-edged.

Days before acknowledging the call, Trump declared that the airspace above and around Venezuela should be treated as“closed in its entirety” for planes, pilots, drug traffickers and human smugglers.

The statement came without legal details or coordination with airlines, leaving regulators and travelers unsure whether it is a symbolic threat or the first step toward real flight limits.

Offshore, there is nothing symbolic about the campaign. U.S. forces have spent months chasing and destroying fast boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, accusing them of carrying cocaine and other drugs north.



Suspected traffickers have been killed, and intelligence agencies gained wider authority to operate against networks linked to Maduro's circle, blurring the line between classic counter-narcotics work and quiet regime pressure.
Rising U.S. pressure on Venezuela with diplomacy still in play
Trump presents this as a response to the overdose crisis that kills more than 100,000 Americans a year. The message to voters is clear: failed states and criminalized governments abroad help poison communities at home, and softer approaches have not worked.

For many who distrust radical experiments and collectivist agendas, Venezuela is a cautionary tale of how a once-wealthy democracy can unravel.

Maduro, presiding over inflation, shortages and a mass exodus, denies any link to drug trafficking and accuses Washington of wanting Venezuelan oil and control.

His loyalists in the National Assembly now say they will investigate U.S. naval attacks and portray traffickers as victims of foreign aggression. On social media, Venezuelans trade rumors about blocked flights and the risk of a sudden strike.

For expats and foreign observers, the phone call is the key to understanding the moment. It shows that behind the loud threats and naval operations, Washington still believes talking is useful – but only while the pressure stays firmly on.

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