Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Monday he is "prepared" to talk to US President Donald Trump, after Trump said he was open to meeting the Venezuelan leader to discuss his exit from power, AFP reported.
"When the time comes I'm prepared to speak respectfully with President Donald Trump," Maduro was quoted as having told state news agency AVN.
Trump said he "would maybe think about" meeting Maduro in an interview with Axios published on Sunday.
On Monday, however, he stressed that he would never meet with Maduro unless it was only to discuss him stepping down.
“Unlike the radical left, I will ALWAYS stand against socialism and with the people of Venezuela. My Admin has always stood on the side of FREEDOM and LIBERTY and against the oppressive Maduro regime! I would only meet with Maduro to discuss one thing: a peaceful exit from power!” tweeted Trump.
Maduro on Monday made no specific mention of Trump's quotes but said that "in the same way I spoke with (Joe) Biden, I could speak with Trump."
Maduro met Biden in 2015 when he was Vice President to Barack Obama.
Trump recognized Venzeualan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela in 2019, as did several other countries, including Israel. The country’s military remains loyal to Maduro, however.
After initially drawing huge crowds in anti-Maduro rallies, Guaido's star has dimmed over the last year, noted AFP.
In January he even faced a challenge to his position as National Assembly leader from an opposition legislator and former ally -- an issue that has never been resolved.