President Donald Trump has said he will soon speak with his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, amid speculation that the US could launch an attack on the Latin American nation and new US warning to civilian airlines over flying over Venezuela.
"I will speak with him in a not too distant future," Trump said in an interview with Fox Radio on Friday.
Trump declined to say what he would be discussing with the Venezuelan president, saying: "I just don't do that."
"I can't tell you what I'm going to tell him, but I have something very specific to say," he said, reiterating a laundry list of alleged grievances he has with Maduro, including accusations of drug trafficking.
Maduro warned on Monday that any American military intervention in his country would be Trump's "political end," saying the circles around Trump are "provoking" an armed action that, according to him, would lead the US president "to a cliff."
He said there was "an effort by powerful sectors in the US to destroy Trump" using Venezuela.
"They want President Trump to make the most serious mistake of his entire life and set himself militarily against Venezuela, which would be the political end of his leadership and name, and he is being pressured and provoked," Maduro said.
The president also said Venezuela is ready for "face-to-face" dialogue with Washington, reiterating that diplomacy and the search for "communal points" continue to be the "invariable" position of his government.
US warns civilian air traffic
Tensions between the US and Venezuela have been on the rise since Trump this August ordered a military deployment in the Caribbean, claiming the build-up is aimed at attacking drug cartels and stopping drug trafficking routes.
Caracas maintains that what is being sought is a change of Maduro government. Since then, the US military has carried out a total of 21 strikes on vessels it claimed were loaded with drugs, killing 83 people, and Trump has signaled he could attack alleged drug trafficking targets on the ground in Venezuela.
Meanwhile, the US aviation regulator issued a warning on Friday to civilian aircraft in Venezuelan airspace, citing the dangers of "heightened military activity".
The Federal Aviation Administration urged aircraft in the area to "exercise caution" due to the "worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela."
"Threats could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes, including during overflight, the arrival and departure phases of flight, and/or airports and aircraft on the ground," it said.
