Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s options to resign and leave his country on a safe behavior guaranteed by the United States have been exhausted after a brief call with US President Donald Trump last month in which Trump rejected a series of requests from the Venezuelan leader, according to four sources familiar with the call.
The Nov. 21 phone call came after months of mounting U.S. pressure on Venezuela, including attacks on suspected drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean, repeated threats by Trump to expand military operations ashore, and the designation of the Cartel de los Soles, a group the Trump administration says includes Maduro, as a foreign terrorist organization.
Maduro and his government have long denied all criminal charges and say the United States is seeking regime change to control Venezuela’s vast natural resources, including oil.
Three of the sources said that Maduro told Trump during the call that he was willing to leave Venezuela as long as he and his family members received a full legal pardon, including the lifting of all US sanctions and an end to the historic case he faces at the International Criminal Court.
Maduro also requested the lifting of sanctions on more than 100 Venezuelan government officials, many of whom the United States accuses of human rights violations, drug trafficking or corruption, according to the three people.
Maduro has asked Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to run an interim government before new elections are held, according to two of the sources.
Trump declined most of his requests during the call, which lasted less than 15 minutes, but told Maduro that he had a week to leave Venezuela to the destination of his choice with his family members.
Two of the sources said the safe passage ended on Friday, prompting Trump to announce on Saturday the closure of Venezuela’s airspace.
The Miami Herald newspaper had previously published several details about the call. The Friday deadline had not been previously announced.
Trump confirmed on Sunday that he had spoken with Maduro, without providing details. The White House declined to provide further details, and Venezuela’s Information Ministry, which handles all press inquiries for that country’s government, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Trump administration has said it does not recognize Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, as the legitimate president of Venezuela. He was declared the winner of re-election last year in a nationwide vote that the United States and other Western governments described as a sham, and independent observers said the opposition won by an overwhelming majority.
Speaking to protesters, Maduro on Monday swore “absolute loyalty” to the Venezuelan people.
It is unclear whether Maduro can still present a new proposal that includes safe passage. A senior US official said that Trump spoke on Monday with his senior aides to discuss the pressure campaign on Venezuela, among other topics.
A source in Washington familiar with the Trump administration’s internal discussions did not rule out the possibility of Maduro’s exit through negotiation, but stressed that there are still major differences and that important details have not yet been resolved.
The United States raised the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, and allocated rewards of $25 million to other senior government officials, including Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, who have been charged by the United States with drug trafficking, among other crimes. Everyone denies these accusations.
Maduro’s government has requested another call with Trump, according to three sources.