Maduro rejects a ‘slave’s peace’ for Venezuela as US ramps up pressure

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeated calls for bid and pledged “absolute loyalty” to his radical astatine a rally attended by thousands successful Caracas, arsenic tensions escalate implicit imaginable subject enactment by the United States.

The rally connected Monday came arsenic US President Donald Trump met with his nationalist information squad astatine the White House to sermon the “next steps” connected Venezuela, according to media reports.

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Maduro, addressing a assemblage waving Venezuelan flags extracurricular the statesmanlike palace successful Caracas, said his state wanted peace, but lone a bid “with sovereignty, equality and freedom”.

“We bash not privation a slave’s peace, nor the bid of colonies! Colony, never! Slaves, never!” helium said.

The Trump medication has been piling unit connected Venezuela with a subject buildup successful the Caribbean, successful what it calls an anti-drug trafficking campaign. Caracas says the actions are aimed astatine toppling Maduro’s government.

The US has amassed 15,000 troops successful the portion and deployed the world’s largest craft bearer there, portion besides designating the Cartel de los Soles, which it describes arsenic a cause trafficking cartel led by Maduro, arsenic a “terrorist” organisation.

It has besides carried retired astatine slightest 21 strikes connected alleged cause boats successful the Caribbean and the Pacific since September, sidesplitting astatine slightest 83 people.

Experts accidental the assembled US firepower acold outweighs what is indispensable for a drug-trafficking operation, while Caracas says the US is seeking authorities alteration to instrumentality power of Venezuela’s immense earthy resources, including oil.

Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro be a ceremonial successful Caracas, Venezuela, December 1, 2025 [Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/ Reuters]

Maduro connected Monday accused the US of waging a run of “psychological terrorism”.

“We person endured 22 weeks of aggression that tin beryllium described arsenic intelligence terrorism,” helium said. “These 22 weeks person enactment america to the test, and the radical of Venezuela person demonstrated their emotion for the homeland,” helium added.

Trump-Maduro call

Trump, meanwhile, confirmed connected Sunday that helium spoke to Maduro connected the phone, but declined to springiness details, saying it did not spell “well oregon badly”.

The Reuters quality agency, citing 4 sources acquainted with the matter, reported connected Monday that Trump offered Maduro harmless transition retired of Venezuela during the abbreviated telephone connected November 21.

Maduro told Trump helium was consenting to permission Venezuela, provided helium and his household members had afloat ineligible amnesty, including the removal of each US sanctions and the extremity of a flagship lawsuit helium faces earlier the International Criminal Court (ICC), Reuters reported, citing 3 of the sources.

He besides requested removal of sanctions for much than 100 Venezuelan authorities officials, galore accused by the US of quality rights abuses, cause trafficking oregon corruption, Reuters said.

Trump rejected astir of his requests connected the call, but told Maduro helium had a week to permission Venezuela for the destination of his prime alongside his household members.

That harmless transition expired connected Friday, prompting Trump to state connected Saturday that Venezuela’s airspace was closed, 2 of the sources told Reuters.

There was nary contiguous remark from the US oregon Venezuela astir the report.

The Trump medication has said it does not recognise Maduro, who has been successful powerfulness since 2013, arsenic Venezuela’s morganatic president. Maduro claimed a re-election triumph past twelvemonth successful a nationalist ballot that the US and different Western governments dismissed arsenic a sham, and which autarkic observers said the absorption won overwhelmingly.

Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo, reporting from Cucuta connected the Colombia-Venezuela border, said Maduro’s quality astatine the Caracas rally came amid rumours that helium had near the state pursuing Trump’s declaration astir the closure of Venezuela’s airspace.

Bo said radical crossing the Simon Bolivar span betwixt the 2 countries were “extremely acrophobic astir the anticipation of a subject strike” by the US connected Venezuela.

“In the meantime, Venezuela continues to deploy subject units crossed the country. They are protecting the capital, Caracas, specifically the main road that connects to the airdrome and the coastal areas of Venezuela. We person seen the curate of defence, Vladimir Padrino Lopez, amusement disconnected immoderate subject equipment, among them aerial defences [and] combatant jets,” she said.

Sources successful Venezuela told Al Jazeera that they cognize the country’s subject is nary lucifer for the US, she said.

“That’s wherefore they are focusing connected different strategy. And this would see irregular attacks, sabotage, utilizing transgression groups, authorities supporters, and perchance guerrillas, among others,” Bo said.

“The main thought would beryllium to make chaos [and] anarchy, and that’s thing that concerns galore radical successful the country. And determination are immoderate that accidental that adjacent though they would similar to spot Maduro go, they are acrophobic that unit could instrumentality implicit their country.”