Trump ends talks with Venezuela; Maduro pleads with the Pope and accuses false flag operation

By Padfoot

The White House stopped diplomatic talks with Caracas led by Richard Grenell, according to The New York Times. The move reignited debates about possible military options, sparking criticism from Democrats and a theatrical response from President Nicolás Maduro, who pleaded with the pope for help and denounced an alleged “false flag operation” at the US embassy.

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• The White House ordered Grenell to cease negotiations with Nicolás Maduro, reports The New York Times.
• The NYT assures that there are military plans on the table and that Marco Rubio promotes tougher options.
• Maduro asked for support from “Pope Leo XIV” and claimed to have thwarted an operation against the US embassy.

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8:58 pm on October 7, 2025

The White House, as reported by The New York Times, ordered its envoy Richard Grenell to suspend diplomatic talks with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

The newspaper cited anonymous sources to affirm that President Donald Trump decided to “cancel diplomatic outreach to Venezuela”a measure that, according to the same medium, paves the way for possible military options against drug traffickers or against the Maduro regime.

The decision comes after an episode in which the US administration authorized actions against Venezuelan drug boats in the Caribbean in early September. In response, Maduro sent a letter addressed to “Respected President Donald Trump,” in which he defended his government and asked to continue the dialogue through Grenell.

The New York Times report indicated that the president was frustrated by the regime’s refusal to voluntarily cede power and by the Venezuelan authorities’ insistence that they do not participate in drug trafficking. Those NYT claims were reproduced by the original article in PJ Media.

The author of the text in PJ Media, Sarah Anderson, maintained that the news has been presented by many media outlets and by Democratic legislators with terms such as “military escalation” and “regime change.” Anderson also wrote that, in his opinion, the measure does not necessarily imply an all-out war on Venezuelan soil, but it could translate into more aggressive options to end impunity.

What The New York Times said about plans and key players

The NYT reported, according to the original piece, that there are several potential military plans to overthrow Maduro and that Senator Marco Rubio would be promoting these options. The same report added that the president concluded that Grenell’s diplomatic efforts had been unhelpful and were causing confusion.

According to the review, Grenell would have tried to negotiate an agreement that would allow American oil companies to access Venezuelan oil, a move designed to reduce tensions and offer an economic solution without armed conflict. That effort, indicated the NYT and reproduced by PJ Media, was seen by the White House as insufficient in the face of the behavior of the Venezuelan regime.

In her column, Anderson stated that she personally would prefer to see Maduro out of power quickly, and that President Trump’s stance on this matter is not similar to that of previous administrations that sought protracted wars. The piece attributes these opinions to the columnist and presents them as her political interpretation of the episode.

Internal reactions in the US and political dialogue

The suspension of the talks caused immediate reactions among legislators and on social networks. The original article cites responses from Democrats in the House and mentions a publication in X that summarizes the political clash as a reflection of the support of some Democratic figures for authoritarian regimes, in a critical tone.

Likewise, the text recovers the intervention of users such as Estrella Infante, who defended Trump’s decision by arguing that Venezuela is not just any country, but a “narco-dictatorship allied with enemies of the United States” responsible for regional chaos and mass migration.

Coverage on PJ Media posited that the “regime change” narrative does not fully align with the administration’s official stance, and underscored the difference between seeking a protracted war and pursuing a strategy to eliminate impunity and provide regional stability.

Nicolás Maduro’s response: appeal to the pope and accusations on state television

In his weekly state broadcast program, Maduro stated that he had written to “Pope Leo XIV” to ask for help in order to “save Venezuela from the great evil United States.” The text reproduces Maduro’s phrase in which he expresses his faith that the pope will help preserve peace and stability in the country.

The note points out the author’s irony and skepticism about that appeal, suggesting that, in PJ Media’s interpretation, if the pope really wanted to help Venezuela, he would support measures that contribute to Maduro’s departure from power to alleviate the humanitarian crisis.

Furthermore, during the same broadcast, Maduro reported that Venezuelan security forces had dismantled a “false flag operation” by alleged right-wing terrorists who were trying to plant bombs at the United States embassy in Caracas. The embassy has remained closed since 2019, and various sources mentioned in the piece estimate that it only houses some minor employees.

The article warns that Maduro often resorts to accusations of conspiracy when he feels cornered, and that so far no concrete public evidence has emerged to support these claims.

Brief analysis and possible scenarios

The piece reproduced by PJ Media considers that Trump’s measure could initially be a pressure tactic aimed at intimidating the regime and its allies. However, the NYT and other analysts cited in the text point to the existence of military plans on the table as a real possibility if conditions worsen.

The article recalls that recent actions against vessels linked to drug trafficking marked a turning point in the bilateral relationship and that, according to the NYT version, the White House is evaluating multiple options ranging from additional sanctions to more direct operations.

Anderson concludes in his column that, despite the media rhetoric that speaks of “military escalation,” the Trump administration does not seem oriented toward endless wars, although it leaves open the possibility of more drastic measures in the future. That interpretation is presented as the opinion of the author and not as a fact officially communicated by the White House.

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