U.S. President Donald Trump has called off efforts to reach a diplomatic agreement with Venezuela and told his special envoy Richard Grenell to stop all outreach, a senior U.S. official said on Monday.
Although Trump is reportedly considering strikes inside the South American country, the U.S. official told Reuters that the president has not yet determined whether to advance his military campaign to a second phase.
Trump delivered the message to Grenell during a meeting in the Oval Office last Thursday with senior military leaders, the senior official said.
Tensions between Washington and Caracas have intensified since Trump returned to the White House in January with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro denying U.S. allegations that drugs were being produced in the country, and saying that the U.S. is hoping to drive him from power.
