Socialist dictator of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro sent a letter to President Donald Trump claiming he wishes to engage in “direct conversations” with the U.S. amid rising tensions between both countries, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez revealed on Sunday.
According to the letter, Maduro is “open for a direct and frank conversation” with Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions Richard Grenell to overcome “media noise and fake news.”
Rodríguez published copies of the signed letter on her official Telegram account in both English and Spanish. According to the Venezuelan official, the letter, dated September 5, was delivered on September 6 to a “South American intermediary” to ensure it reached President Trump, its intended recipient.
The letter, Rodríguez further claimed, presents “the irrefutable truth of Venezuela and demonstrating — with maps and scientific data endorsed by international organizations — that our homeland is a territory free of any illicit activity.” Two maps allegedly obtained from the United Nations’ World Drug Deport were attached to the missive.
In the text, Maduro refers to Trump as “Respected President Donald Trump” and claims that, presently, there are many “fake news” controversies surrounding Venezuela, such as the country’s refusal to take in deported migrants — an issue that Maduro alleged was “resolved and clarified” in a conversation with Grenell.
“In recent weeks, the false accusations of links with mafias and drug trafficking gangs by high-ranking Venezuelan authorities have dominated the news. This is the most egregious instance of disinformation against our nation, intended to justify an escalation to armed conflict that would inflict catastrophic damage across the entire continent,” the letter read.
“I had a lengthy discussion with Special Envoy Rick Grenell on this and other issues. In that sense, I am sending you compelling data on drug production and drug trafficking in South America. This data conclusively demonstrates that Venezuela is a territory free of drug production and a country not relevant in the field of narcotics. This is due to the immense effort made for years by our police and military forces,” the text continued.
The Venezuelan dictator, citing data allegedly obtained from the U.N., claimed that “only 5 percent” of the drugs produced in Colombia are attempted to be transported through Venezuela. According to Maduro “all drugs seized” along the Colombian border have been “intercepted and destroyed,” and further claimed that “more than 70 percent” of small drugs attempting to cross the Venezuelan border have been “neutralized and destroyed” this year. Maduro cited both assertions as proof of “Venezuela’s impeccable record” in drug fighting.
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“President, I hope that together we can defeat the falsehoods that have sullied our relationship, which must be historic and peaceful, as always envisioned by our Liberator, Simón Bolívar,” Maduro wrote, before acknowledging President Trump’s efforts towards ending wars in other regions of the world.
Vice President Rodríguez published the copies of the letter amid the Maduro regime’s ongoing “preparations” to combat a United States “invasion” of Venezuela. In recent weeks, Nicolás Maduro and members of his regime have insisted, without evidence, that the ongoing U.S. military deployment in Caribbean international waters to combat drug cartels in the region is a “threat” to Venezuela and is secretly part of a plot to oust Maduro from power. Maduro has threatened Trump with an “armed struggle” should the U.S. invade Venezuela.
For years, U.S. authorities have accused Maduro of being a leading figure, if not the leader of, the Cartel of the Suns, an international cocaine trafficking operation run by top Maduro regime officials. Maduro is actively wanted by U.S. authorities on multiple narco-terrorism charges and has an active $50 million bounty to his name for information that can lead to his arrest and/or conviction.
On Thursday, as part of the ongoing preparations for the alleged U.S. “invasion,” Maduro ordered that Venezuelan military officials train civilians over the weekend in weapons handling to fight against the U.S. troops that will allegedly invade Venezuela. Footage of the weekend military-civilian training drills were published on social media. In one of the videos, shared by Latin American journalist Emmanuel Rincón, a military official is heard instructing a woman to aim a rifle “there, where Trump is.”
On Saturday, the Maduro regime deployed tanks and armored vehicles throughout the streets of Caracas in what appears to be a “show of strength” ahead of the upcoming “invasion” of Venezuela. Footage of the Venezuelan military vehicle was broadcast by Venezuelan state media and published on social media by regime-linked individuals. The Maduro regime also published related propaganda videos on its official Instagram account.
Hours before Rodríguez published the letter, Maduro, during an official peasant union event, called upon Venezuelan farmers to take up arms and defend the country should the United States “invade” the country. Similarly, Fisheries Minister Juan Carlos Loyo announced that Venezuelan fishermen will carry out “six maritime rallies” across several coastal states in support of Venezuela and to protest the ongoing U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean
“I trust the Ezequiel Zamora National Peasant Union to prepare themselves thoroughly, and thousands—I am not exaggerating when I say millions—of peasants are ready to take up arms and defend the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela if it were to be attacked by the American empire,” Maduro reportedly said.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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