Venezuela's Maduro calls US a ‘brother country’, signals ‘serious’ talks with Trump on drug trafficking and oil

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has struck a conciliatory note towards US President Donald Trump, calling for meaningful dialogue on countering drug trafficking and offering American firms unrestricted access to Venezuela’s oil sector.

Maduro described Venezuela as a “brother nation” to the United States and portrayed his government as friendly towards Washington. He recalled a phone conversation with Trump in November, saying the US leader had recognised his authority by addressing him as “Mr. President.”

The remarks were made during an interview recorded on New Year’s Eve and broadcast on Venezuelan state television on the evening of New Year’s Day.

During the programme, Maduro and the interviewer are shown walking through a heavily secured area of Caracas. In another segment, Maduro is seen driving a car with the journalist seated beside him and his wife, Cilia Flores, in the back. Commentators viewed the scenes as an effort to project self-assurance at a time when concerns of possible US military action persist, particularly as the president has recently reduced his public appearances.

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Maduro’s comments signal a change in tone towards Washington following a major US military buildup in the southern Caribbean. Trump has previously labelled Maduro an “illegitimate” leader, accused him of presiding over a narco-state, and threatened to remove him from office.

Maduro has vehemently denied links to crime and says that the U.S. is seeking to oust him to take control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves and rare earth mineral deposits.

At an event shortly before Christmas, Maduro urged Trump to focus on domestic challenges, saying: ”Honestly, if I speak with him again, I will tell him that each one should attend to their internal affairs.”

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In the latest remarks, Maduro told his interviewer: ”To the people of the United States I say what I have always said, Venezuela is a brother country… a friendly government.

”We must start to speak seriously, with the facts in hand. The U.S. government knows that, because we have said it a lot to their interlocutors, that if they want to speak seriously about the agreement to battle drug trafficking, we are ready to do that. If they want Venezuela’s oil, Venezuela is ready to accept U.S. investments like those of Chevron, when, where and how they want to make them.”

With inputs from agencies