Maduro Signals Openness to Dialogue with US Amid Claims of Strike on Venezuelan Dock
Speaking in an interview on state television, Maduro avoided directly addressing President Donald Trump’s announcement earlier this week that US forces had destroyed a dock serving Venezuelan drug-smuggling boats.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Thursday signaled willingness to engage in dialogue with the United States, even as his government declined to confirm or deny Washington’s claim that it carried out a strike on a docking facility allegedly used for drug trafficking.
Speaking in an interview on state television, Maduro avoided directly addressing President Donald Trump’s announcement earlier this week that US forces had destroyed a dock serving Venezuelan drug-smuggling boats. When asked whether the attack had taken place, Maduro said the matter could be discussed “in a few days.”
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the incident, Maduro emphasized that Caracas remains open to cooperation with Washington. “Wherever they want and whenever they want,” he said, referring to potential talks on drug trafficking, oil, and migration.
On Monday, Trump said the United States had struck and destroyed a docking area “along the shore,” describing it as a key location used to load boats with drugs. He declined to specify whether the operation was carried out by the US military or intelligence services, or to disclose the exact location of the strike. The incident, if confirmed, would mark the first known land-based strike linked to the US campaign against drug trafficking from Latin America.
Maduro said Venezuela had “defended itself well” during what he described as a US maritime campaign and stressed that the country remained stable. “Our people are safe and in peace,” he added.
Speculation over the strike’s location intensified after Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Trump had “bombed a factory in Maracaibo” allegedly linked to cocaine production. The remarks prompted social media claims that a recent fire at warehouses owned by chemical distributor Primazol in Maracaibo was connected to the alleged attack.
Primazol’s chief executive, Carlos Eduardo Siu, dismissed the claims, denying any involvement in narcotics production. “We neither package nor manufacture any kind of narcotics,” he said, rejecting suggestions that the company was linked to drug trafficking.