Overview

• Asked whether he received the letter, Trump declined to say and responded, “We’ll see what happens with Venezuela.”
• Reuters reports the Sept. 6 message proposed a “direct and frank” channel through U.S. envoy Richard Grenell, reflecting divisions inside Washington over engagement versus pressure.
• In the letter, Maduro disputed U.S. claims on drug trafficking and asserted that 5% of Colombian drugs transit Venezuela and that authorities neutralize 70% of that flow.
• U.S. forces have sunk four suspected trafficking boats in the Caribbean since August near Venezuelan waters, and deployments offshore have been described as aimed at pressuring Maduro.
• Despite tensions, deportation flights coordinated with Caracas continue, with more than 8,000 Venezuelans repatriated, according to Reuters.