CARACAS: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro confirmed Wednesday that he had a "cordial" phone call with his US counterpart Donald Trump 10 days ago amid a US military buildup in Latin America.
"I spoke with the President of the United States, Donald Trump. I can say that the conversation was respectful, and I can even say that it was cordial," Maduro told state television.
"If this call means that steps are being taken toward a respectful dialogue — state to state, country to country — then we welcome dialogue, welcome diplomacy, because we will always seek peace," the leftist leader added.
Since August, the United States has deployed a fleet of warships and the world's largest aircraft carrier to the Caribbean while carrying out deadly strikes on at least 22 vessels, killing at least 83, under the pretext of combating drug trafficking.
However, Maduro has said the operation is a move to overthrow his leftist government and ultimately seize the country's vast oil reserves.
Trump confirmed the telephone conversation with Maduro on Sunday without providing any details.
When asked to elaborate, after reports that the call included discussions about a possible meeting or amnesty conditions if Maduro were to step down, Trump would only say: "I wouldn't say it went well or badly. It was a phone call."
Washington has accused Maduro of leading the alleged Cartel of the Suns, which it declared a terrorist organization on November 24. There is also a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro's capture.
Venezuela’s Maduro says call with Trump was ‘respectful’ and ‘cordial’
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Venezuela’s Maduro says call with Trump was ‘respectful’ and ‘cordial’
- Since August, the US has carried out deadly strikes on at least 22 vessels, under the pretext of combating drug trafficking
- Maduro has described the US operation as a move to overthrow his leftist government and ultimately seize the country's vast oil reserves
Putin says developing Russia’s nuclear forces ‘absolute priority’
- Putin vowed to keep “strengthening the army and navy” and draw on military experience from the nearly four-year conflict in Ukraine
MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin said Sunday that developing Russia’s nuclear forces was now an “absolute priority” following the expiry of its last remaining nuclear treaty with the US.
“The development of the nuclear triad, which guarantees Russia’s security and ensures effective strategic deterrence and a balance of forces in the world, remains an absolute priority,” Putin said in a video message.
His speech came on Russia’s “Defender of the Fatherland Day,” a holiday that is an occasion for military pomp and Kremlin-sponsored patriotism.
Putin vowed to keep “strengthening the army and navy” and draw on military experience from the nearly four-year conflict in Ukraine.
All branches of the armed forces would be improved, he said, including their “combat readiness, their mobility, and their ability to operate in all conditions, even the most difficult.”
Putin’s remarks came just two days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s assault on Ukraine that sparked a war that has shattered towns, uprooted millions and killed large numbers on both sides.
Moscow and Washington — the world’s two main nuclear powers — are no longer bound by any arms control pact since the New START agreement expired earlier this month.
But Russia said it would continue taking a “responsible” approach to strategic nuclear capability and respecting the limits set on its arsenal.
