Overview

• Vice President Delcy Rodríguez released the full Sept. 6 letter in which Nicolás Maduro denies narcotrafficking ties, cites UN-sourced data on drug flows, and proposes talks through U.S. envoy Richard Grenell.
• White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed receipt of the letter, said it “contains many lies,” and stated that the administration’s stance on Venezuela has not changed.
• President Donald Trump earlier avoided confirming receipt when asked by reporters, saying only, “We’ll see what happens with Venezuela.”
• The confrontation continues under a stepped-up U.S. counternarcotics posture in the Caribbean, with eight ships and air assets deployed and at least four fast boats reportedly destroyed near Venezuelan waters in recent weeks.
• Opposition leaders Edmundo González Urrutia and María Corina Machado publicly backed the U.S. maritime operation, signaling support for sustained external pressure on Maduro.