U.S. President Donald Trump has abruptly ended diplomatic engagement with Venezuela, directing his special envoy Richard Grenell to suspend all outreach, a senior U.S. official said on Monday. This shift represents a marked escalation of Washington’s approach toward Caracas after months of tension around counter-drug operations and accusations of state complicity in narcotics trafficking.
The decision came during a meeting in the Oval Office last Thursday, in which Trump and top military leaders agreed to revoke the diplomatic track in favour of stronger coercive options, the source said. Previously, Grenell had served as the main U.S. interlocutor in talks with Venezuela, including negotiating limited prisoner releases and discussing migration and sanction issues.
The move follows a series of U.S. military actions targeting vessels allegedly smuggling drugs near Venezuelan waters. Trump has characterized these operations as part of a “non-international armed conflict” with cartels, justifying kinetic action without traditional diplomatic constraints. While officials say no final decision has been made, Trump is reportedly weighing expansion of the campaign into Venezuelan territory.
In response, Caracas has accused Washington of using drug trafficking as a pretext for regime change, denying any major narcotics role and warning that U.S. aggression would provoke resistance. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro claimed security forces foiled a “false-flag” plot to plant explosives at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas—a tactic he says was intended to escalate conflict.
The diplomatic freeze is likely to raise regional alarm. U.S. critics have warned that unilateral military escalation risks violating international law and destabilizing an already volatile hemisphere.
