A call between Trump and Maduro paves the way for possible discussions in the White House

US President Donald Trump spoke last week with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro, according to what the New York Times reported on Friday, noting that the conversation touched on the possibility of holding a meeting in the United States..

The report on the phone call comes at a time when the Trump administration is exerting intense pressure on Venezuela with its large military buildup in the Caribbean Sea, especially with its deployment in the region of the largest aircraft carrier in the world..

Washington says the goal is to combat drug trafficking, but Caracas says the ultimate goal is regime change.

Since September, US forces have destroyed more than 20 boats suspected of being used for drug smuggling in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific, in strikes that left more than 83 dead..

But Washington has not yet provided any evidence that the boats it targeted were being used to smuggle drugs or pose a threat to the United States..

Regional tensions escalated against the backdrop of this campaign and the accompanying military buildup.

The report on the phone conversation between Trump and Maduro comes the day after the US President confirmed that activating efforts to stop drug smuggling from Venezuela by land is imminent..

The US President affirmed during a television conversation with the armed forces on the occasion of Thanksgiving: “You have probably noticed that people no longer want to transport drugs by sea, and we will begin to prevent them from doing so by land as well.”