NYT: Trump Approved CIA Covert Operations as U.S. Pursued Secret Venezuela Talks

Overview

• The New York Times, citing unnamed sources, reports President Donald Trump approved CIA plans for clandestine activities in Venezuela described as preparing the battlefield for possible actions.
• Separate NYT reporting says the United States held back‑channel talks that broached Nicolás Maduro’s future and potential U.S. access to Venezuelan oil, with a proposal for Maduro to step down within a couple of years reportedly rejected by the White House.
• Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro stated on national television that he is ready for direct talks with Washington and emphasized adherence to international law and rejection of threats of force.
• The Pentagon announced that a U.S. carrier strike group led by the USS Gerald R. Ford entered the Caribbean, with the deployment ordered to U.S. Southern Command in October by Defense Secretary Pete Hegset.
• U.S. officials frame regional operations as counter‑narcotics, and reports describe multiple maritime interdictions since September, including the destruction of speedboats and dozens of deaths near Venezuelan waters.