President Trump delivered one of the most direct and forceful warnings of his presidency this weekend, issuing a stark ultimatum to Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro: flee the country immediately or face potential U.S. land operations, according to details first reported by Fox News.
In a high-stakes phone call mediated by U.S. officials, Trump offered Maduro, his wife, and his son safe passage out of Venezuela, but only if he resigned on the spot. Maduro’s negotiators pushed for what they called “global amnesty” and demanded to maintain control of the Venezuelan military, conditions the United States immediately rejected.
After the talks collapsed, U.S. officials publicly declared that Venezuelan airspace should be considered “closed in its entirety,” a move widely seen as a signal that military operations could be approaching. Command-and-control infrastructure was identified as one of the potential early targets.
The warning was underscored by comments from Benjamin Scharifker, a former Venezuelan diplomat quoted in the report, who said the conditions suggest operations could begin “imminently.” He described the U.S. planning as a “capture-or-kill scenario” aimed at only a small number of top regime figures — with Maduro at the top of the list.
The ultimatum marks the most dramatic escalation in U.S.–Venezuela tensions in years, following longstanding allegations of corruption, narco-terrorism, and drug trafficking against Maduro’s inner circle. With the diplomatic window rapidly closing, the world is now watching to see how seriously the embattled leader takes President Trump’s message and threatened consequences.
