Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko convened Thursday with Venezuela’s ambassador to Russia for the second time in 17 days, signaling potential sanctuary for embattled President Nicolás Maduro as Washington intensifies efforts to oust him.
Lukashenko told the diplomat in November that Maduro is “always welcome in Belarus.” At Thursday’s meeting, the Belarusian leader said they would coordinate with Maduro before making appropriate decisions. Reuters asked whether Belarus would offer Maduro sanctuary, but Lukashenko’s office did not respond. Russian President Vladimir Putin called Maduro the same day to reaffirm support for his government.
The Belarus overture comes as President Donald Trump’s push to remove Maduro has stalled over exit terms. Maduro offered to leave office if Washington removed sanctions on him and his family and dropped his International Criminal Court case, sources familiar with the talks told Reuters. Trump rejected those conditions during their November 21 call and set a one-week deadline for unconditional departure. Maduro ignored the November 28 cutoff.
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Venezuela’s government separately proposed a phased exit where Maduro would resign in three years and hand power to Vice President Delcy Rodriguez. The White House dismissed that plan, too. Rodriguez later denied any transition talks, calling them “fake news” on Telegram.
The Trump administration has positioned three destroyers and a carrier strike group near Venezuelan waters. US naval forces have struck vessels Washington says trafficked drugs since September, with Reuters reporting over 80 deaths. Treasury sanctioned three Maduro relatives and six oil-shipping firms Thursday, one day after seizing a Venezuelan tanker.
Maduro told supporters Monday he rejects a “slave’s peace” and wants terms reflecting “sovereignty, equality and freedom.” Sources told The Washington Post that Maduro plans to wait out Trump rather than flee.
Former US Ambassador Jimmy Story said military strikes grow “increasingly likely,” though he doubts Washington will invade. The administration raised its bounty on Maduro to $50 million—twice the Osama bin Laden reward.
Lukashenko maintains friendly ties with Venezuela while simultaneously engaging with the Trump administration, which recently eased Belarus sanctions and appointed a special envoy to negotiate political prisoner releases.
Honduras and St. Vincent recently elected leaders pledging to cut Venezuela ties. Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Colombia have cooled relations with Caracas following Maduro’s disputed 2024 reelection.
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