Overview
- In a televised interview with Ignacio Ramonet, Nicolás Maduro said Venezuela is ready for a serious agreement to combat narcotrafficking and invited U.S. energy investment, citing Chevron as a model.
- Maduro stated he has spoken with President Donald Trump only once, on November 21, describing the 10-minute call as respectful, and he denied a second conversation.
- U.S. Southern Command reported lethal strikes on December 31 against suspected narcotrafficking vessels in international waters, with at least eight people killed in the latest operations.
- Venezuelan reporting says there is no evidence inside the country of the on-shore attack announced by Washington, and a widely discussed Maracaibo factory fire was described by its owner as an electrical accident.
- The U.S. Treasury recently intensified measures by sanctioning four oil companies and designating four tankers as blocked property tied to Venezuela’s oil trade.