US President Donald Trump said over the weekend that he had spoken to Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, their first conversation since the start of Washington’s military buildup in South America.
The Trump administration has for weeks struck vessels off the coast of Venezuela that it alleges are ferrying drugs to the US, part of what analysts say appears to be an effort to unseat Maduro.
However, American lawmakers from both parties have questioned the legality of the Pentagon’s campaign, which reportedly included an order to kill all the survivors of a recent strike. The political fallout underscores the domestic consequences for Washington’s offensive: Trump’s own supporters appear divided over how far they want the president to go.