Trump Unveils Maduro's Extensive Offers to Avoid Military Conflict with the U.S.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has disclosed that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro made significant offers to prevent a military showdown with Washington amid escalating pressure on the Chavista regime. During a broadcast by the presidential channel Rapid Response 47, Trump noted that Maduro was willing to make extensive concessions to appease the White House. "He's offered everything, you're right. You know why? Because he doesn't want to mess with the United States," Trump remarked, highlighting the Venezuelan leader's attempts to avoid direct conflict.

According to a detailed investigation by The New York Times, Maduro proposed granting American companies control over Venezuela's oil and mining industries, including state-owned PDVSA projects and the gold mining in the Orinoco Mining Arc. In return, Caracas sought to reestablish diplomatic ties and avert U.S. military actions in the region.

The Times reported that these negotiations were held secretly over several months between high-level Venezuelan government representatives and then-U.S. special envoy Richard Grenell. Sources indicate that as part of the rapprochement, Maduro pledged to diminish ties with China, Iran, and Russia. "Maduro realized that reducing ties with China and Russia was the necessary price to avoid military intervention," a diplomatic source told the newspaper.

Nonetheless, the Trump administration rejected the offer, severing diplomatic contacts with Caracas on the grounds that the regime remained "illegitimate and criminal." Despite the proposed concessions, the White House ruled out any possibility of an agreement with Maduro, whom Trump and his team labeled a "fugitive from U.S. justice," accused of narcoterrorism and money laundering, and the head of the so-called "Cartel of the Suns."

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, played a key role in driving the maximum pressure policy. Of Cuban descent, Rubio argues that "the fall of Maduro is essential to weaken the Havana regime" and dismantle the network of authoritarian governments in Latin America.

As per the Times, while Maduro publicly portrayed himself as a steadfast leader against "imperial threats," his envoys in Europe and the Caribbean were offering full participation agreements to American companies in oil production and distribution. The political sticking point, however, was the regime's refusal to discuss relinquishing power. "The president will not negotiate his exit," stated Foreign Minister Yván Gil, as reported by local media.

The talks, reportedly initiated in early 2025, collapsed by mid-year when the United States intensified its anti-narcotics operations in the Caribbean and authorized strikes against Venezuelan vessels linked to drug trafficking. Concurrently, opposition leader María Corina Machado—the recent Nobel Peace Prize laureate—presented a democratic transition proposal in Washington, promising greater economic benefits for the U.S. should there be a change in Venezuela's government.

According to the same source, Machado's economic team estimated that American companies could generate up to $1.7 trillion in investments and profits over 15 years with the return of democracy and the restoration of diplomatic relations.