WILLEMSTAD – Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro is running out of options to negotiate a safe departure from power under U.S. protection, following a brief and decisive phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on November 21. Four sources familiar with the conversation told Reuters that Maduro sought broad guarantees for himself and his inner circle, only to be met with firm rejection from Washington.
The call took place after months of intensifying U.S. pressure on Venezuela, including deadly strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, public threats by Trump to extend operations onto Venezuelan territory, and the designation of the Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization.
According to three of the sources, Maduro told Trump he was willing to leave Venezuela if he and his family received full legal amnesty, including the lifting of all U.S. sanctions and the end of the international case he faces at the International Criminal Court. He also asked for the removal of sanctions on more than 100 regime members, many of whom are accused of human rights violations, corruption, or narcotrafficking. Two sources said Maduro proposed that Vice President Delcy Rodríguez lead an interim government ahead of new elections.
Trump rejected virtually all of Maduro’s requests. The conversation reportedly lasted less than 15 minutes, during which the U.S. president gave Maduro one week to leave the country and travel to a destination of his choosing with his family. That deadline expired on Friday.
On Saturday, Trump announced that the airspace over and around Venezuela should be considered “completely closed,” a move that two sources linked directly to Maduro’s refusal to step down.
The escalating tensions have immediate implications for the wider Caribbean region, including Curaçao, which lies just off the Venezuelan coast and closely follows developments that may affect regional security and stability. Curacao Chronicle will continue to monitor the situation closely as events unfold.