(MENAFN) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced that he held a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump roughly a week and a half ago, confirming the exchange during a televised government event. According to general reports, the call originated from the U.S. side and, as Maduro described it, unfolded "in a tone of respect."

Trump acknowledged the discussion days earlier, offering only a brief characterization: "I wouldn't say it went well or badly. It was a phone call," he said.

Maduro expressed cautious hope that this contact could open the door to a more constructive relationship. He noted that if the communication signals movement toward a respectful diplomatic process, it would be a welcome development for both nations. "If that call means that steps are being taken toward respectful dialogue between states, between countries, then dialogue is welcome, diplomacy is welcome, because we will always seek peace," he said, later reinforcing his message in English: "Welcome dialogue, welcome diplomats, welcome peace. Peace, yes. War, never, never in your life."

The conversation took place during a period of sharply rising military friction and intensified U.S. activities focused on Venezuela. Reports indicate that tensions spiked over the weekend following Trump’s declaration that the airspace “above and surrounding” the country would be regarded as closed “in its entirety.”

In recent months, the United States has expanded its regional military presence, sending a naval group to the Caribbean in August and deploying the world’s largest aircraft carrier in November, explaining that these operations aim to curb narcotics trafficking. Since September, U.S. forces have carried out more than 20 strikes on vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in both the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific, operations that have resulted in dozens of fatalities.

Trump recently reiterated that further action could soon target trafficking routes “by land” as well. While U.S. officials portray these activities as part of an anti-drug campaign, Maduro’s administration argues that Washington’s true objective is to “appropriate Venezuela’s vast oil reserves through the lethal use of military force,” maintaining that the stated counter-narcotics mission is merely a pretext for attempting to unseat Maduro.

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