Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has publicly extended an offer for diplomatic discussions with the United States, but under a strict condition: Washington must cease its long-standing interference in Venezuela's internal affairs.
Maduro's Conditional Offer for Peaceful Dialogue
In a nationally televised address on Friday, December 26, 2025, President Maduro stated his administration is open to engaging with the US. He emphasized that any conversation must be founded on the principle of mutual respect. The Venezuelan president made it clear that the United States must abandon what he labeled as its failed attempts to meddle in Venezuelan politics over the last quarter-century.
"If the US side is willing to engage in dialogue with Venezuela on the basis of mutual respect and abandon its failed attempts to interfere in Venezuela over the past 25 years, I will welcome it," Maduro declared. He expressed a desire to use such a dialogue to find a path toward peace, cooperation, and prosperity between the two nations.
Criticism of US Campaigns and Military Actions
During his speech, President Maduro did not hold back in his criticism of American policy. He accused the United States of conducting sustained smear campaigns against the legitimate Venezuelan government. Furthermore, he charged the US with engaging in destabilizing efforts and persistent attempts to overthrow the country's leadership.
Maduro also directed a message to the American press corps. He called on US media outlets to strive for accurate reporting by first seeking to genuinely understand the real situation within Venezuela before publishing stories.
The Context: US Military Deployment in the Caribbean
The offer for talks comes amidst heightened regional tensions due to significant US military activity near Venezuelan waters. For several months, the United States has positioned large-scale air and naval forces in the Caribbean Sea close to Venezuela.
Washington has justified this deployment as part of a mission to combat what it terms "narco-terrorism." As part of these operations, US forces have reportedly sunk approximately 30 vessels identified as drug trafficking ships in both the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific Ocean. These maritime interventions have, according to reports, resulted in more than 100 deaths.
This military presence forms the immediate backdrop to Maduro's conditional offer for dialogue, highlighting the complex and often adversarial relationship between Caracas and Washington.
