Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last week, The New York Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. The two leaders discussed the possibility of an in-person meeting, although no arrangements have been made. Both the White House and the Venezuelan government declined to comment on the call.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the phone call, which involved U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, occurred just days before a State Department designation took effect. This designation labeled Maduro as the leader of the Cartel de los Soles, a foreign terrorist organization as designated by the Trump administration.

Two individuals close to the Venezuelan government confirmed that a direct call between the two leaders had taken place. In his Thanksgiving remarks to U.S. troops on Thursday night, Trump suggested that the United States could “very soon” take land action against drug trafficking networks in Venezuela.

Trump stated, ”
It’s about 85 percent stopped by sea … and we’ll be starting to stop them by land,” from his Mar-a-Lago estate, adding that the land operations would commence soon. Since early September, the Pentagon has conducted over 20 known strikes on alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean and East Pacific, resulting in the deaths of more than 80 individuals aboard.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, a major aircraft carrier, arrived in the Caribbean last week, marking an intensified U.S. military presence in the region not seen for at least three decades. Meanwhile, Maduro has denied any involvement in drug trafficking, accusing the United States of “fabricating” a pretext for a war aimed at regime change in Venezuela.