Did Trump speak to Maduro before announcing Venezuelan airspace closure? What we know

US President Donald Trump warned that the airspace over and around Venezuela should be treated as closed, as tensions with its leader Nicolás Maduro continue to escalate. The announcement by Trump came even as a report claimed that US President Trump spoke to Venezuelan leader Maduro by phone last week. The two leaders reportedly discussed the possibility of meeting in the United States, according to a report in The New York Times. The report claimed that it was one of the most direct contacts between Washington and Caracas in years. However, there was no official word from the White House or Maduro's government on the call.

“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network, “please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.” Reacting to the statement by Trump, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it amounts to a “colonialist threat”. “Venezuela denounces and condemns the colonialist threat that seeks to affect the sovereignty of its airspace, constituting yet another extravagant, illegal and unjustified aggression against the Venezuelan people,” the ministry said. Reuters reported that the US officials were surprised by Trump's announcement and unaware of any ongoing US military operations to enforce a closure of Venezuelan airspace. The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment and the White House did not provide any further explanation.

Meanwhile, Reuters quoted David Deptula, a retired lieutenant general who commanded a no-fly zone over northern Iraq in 1998 and 1999, said Trump's announcement raises more questions than it answers. Imposing a no-fly zone over Venezuela could require significant resources and planning, depending on the goals of the airspace closure, he said. "The devil's in the details," Deptula said.

The Trump administration has accused Maduro and his network of supplying illegal drugs that have killed Americans. Calling him a ‘cartel boss’, the US has been weighing Venezuela-related options to combat the threat. The socialist Venezuelan president has denied having any links to the illegal drug trade. Maduro, in power since 2013, has contended that Trump is seeking to oust him and that Venezuelan citizens and the country's military will resist any such attempt. Trump told military service members earlier this week that the US would "very soon" begin land operations to stop suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers.