- Title: Maduro tells Trump: "We are ready to talk"
- Date: 23rd January 2020
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT, NICOLAS MADURO, SAYING: "If Donald Trump one day sees the light and gets tired of the lies and failures of (U.S. Secretary of State) Mike Pompeo and (U.S. diplomat) Elliot Abrams, then Nicolas Maduro Moros and the Bolivarian people are ready to talk respectfully, with top-level officials from the United States of America for an equal standing with mutual cooperative gains."
- Embargoed: 6th February 2020 23:08
- Keywords: Caracas President Donald Trump President Nicolas Maduro United States Venezuela dialogue opposition
- Location: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- City: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- Country: Venezuela
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA002BXEBZUV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:President Nicolas Maduro announced on Thursday (January 23) that he is ready for top-level talks with Washington, calling U.S. policies on Venezuela "failures".
In a rally to celebrate the 62nd anniversary of the fall of the dictatorship in Venezuela, Maduro hit out at the U.S. Secretary State Mike Pompeo and had a message for President Donald Trump that Caracas is "ready to talk".
Oil exporter Venezuela is suffering an economic collapse and hyperinflation under the leadership of President Nicolas Maduro. Maduro blames U.S. sanctions for the suffering and has resisted international calls for early presidential elections.
The United States, along with some 50 other nations, has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate head-of-state.
Guaido is on a tour of Europe to lobby the European Union to increase pressure Maduro for transparent elections.
(Production: Efrain Otero, Yorgenis Farina) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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