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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro resurfaced publicly on Sunday after several days out of sight, ending growing speculation that he may have fled the country amid rising tensions with the United States, CNN reported.
Maduro's appearance came just moments after US President Donald Trump confirmed that he had spoken with the Venezuelan leader by phone. Maduro, who typically appears on state television several times a week, had not been seen since November 26, when he posted a short video of himself driving through Caracas on Telegram. The gap triggered a wave of rumours about his whereabouts, as per CNN. His reappearance came at an annual speciality coffee awards ceremony in eastern Caracas. Broadcast images showed the president seated before an audience, handing out medals to coffee producers and sampling their top brews. Although he addressed the crowd, he made no direct reference to the political crisis unfolding around him. As the event wrapped up, Maduro led a chant declaring Venezuela "indestructible, untouchable, unbeatable," invoking confidence in the country's economy -- a remark widely interpreted as a subtle response to the United States' recent military actions, according to CNN. Washington has deployed more than a dozen warships and about 15,000 troops to the region, saying the mission targets drug trafficking. Caracas, however, sees it as a direct attempt to force Maduro out of power. Maduro's appearance came just moments after US President Donald Trump confirmed that he had spoken with the Venezuelan leader by phone. Follwing the phone call, Trump told reporters, "I don't want to comment on that - the answer is yes." He added that he wouldn't characterise the call as positive or negative. "I wouldn't say it went well or badly. It was a phone call," he said. Reports in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal indicate the two leaders spoke earlier this month. Neither Maduro nor top Venezuelan officials have commented on the phone call with Trump. Jorge Rodriguez, the president of Venezuela's National Assembly, refused to comment during a Sunday press conference, saying the briefing was meant instead to announce a new investigation into recent US maritime strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean -- strikes that have reportedly killed more than 80 people. Tensions have escalated sharply in recent days. Trump has warned that US strikes on land-based drug trafficking networks could happen "very soon," and issued a stark alert telling airlines, pilots, and criminal groups to avoid Venezuelan airspace. Speaking again aboard Air Force One, Trump insisted the warning did not signal an imminent airstrike. "Don't read anything into it," he said, explaining that the advisory was issued because Washington considers Venezuela "not a very friendly country." (ANI)
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