CARACAS – In a recent televised interview, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro expressed his country’s willingness to engage in discussions with the United States to address drug trafficking issues. This statement was made during a prerecorded session broadcast on state TV on Thursday. However, Maduro chose not to comment on a CIA-led operation conducted the previous week at a Venezuelan port, which the Trump administration suspected was being utilized by drug cartels.

Speaking with Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet, Maduro reiterated his belief that the United States aims to orchestrate a regime change in Venezuela and gain control over its significant oil resources. He pointed to the extensive military presence in the Caribbean Sea since August as evidence of this ongoing pressure campaign.

“What are they after?” Maduro questioned. “It’s evident that they aim to assert dominance through threats, coercion, and force.” He advocated for a more constructive dialogue between the two nations, emphasizing the need for discussions grounded in concrete information.

Maduro further stated, “The U.S. government is aware, as we’ve communicated to many of their representatives, that we’re open to serious negotiations on combating drug trafficking. We’re also ready for U.S. investments in our oil sector, like those with Chevron, at any time, place, or manner they prefer.”

Currently, Chevron Corp. stands as the sole major oil company exporting Venezuelan oil to the United States. It’s worth noting that Venezuela boasts the largest proven oil reserves globally.

The interview was taped on New Year’s Eve, the same day the U.S. military announced strikes against five alleged drug-smuggling boats. The latest attacks bring the total number of known boat strikes to 35 and the number of people killed to at least 115, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration. Venezuelans are among the victims.

President Donald Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and asserted that the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels. The strikes began off Venezuela’s Caribbean coast and later expanded to the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Meanwhile, the CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels, according to two people familiar with details of the operation who requested anonymity to discuss the classified matter. It was the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the boat strikes began, a significant escalation in the administration’s pressure campaign on Maduro, who has been charged with narco-terrorism in the U.S.

Asked about the operation on Venezuelan soil, Maduro said he could “talk about it in a few days.”

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Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report from Washington.