President Donald Trump delivered a stern ultimatum to Nicolás Maduro to leave Venezuela immediately before announcing the country’s airspace should be closed, according to a report.

Per the Miami Herald, Washington’s warning was delivered in a phone call with Caracas and offered guaranteed evacuation for Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores, and their son, but only if the dictator agreed to resign on the spot. 

The conversation stalled, U.S. officials said, and within hours Washington escalated dramatically. 

The ensuing impasse, a source told the outlet, was over Maduro asking for «global amnesty for any crimes he and his group had committed, and that was rejected.» 

MADURO BRANDISHES SWORD AT RALLY AS HE RAILS AGAINST ‘IMPERIALIST AGGRESSION’ AMID RISING TENSIONS WITH US

«Second, they asked to retain control of the armed forces — similar to what happened in Nicaragua in ’91 with Violeta Chamorro. In return, they would allow free elections.» 

The final issue was timing, according to the outlet, as Washington demanded that Maduro resign immediately – but Caracas refused.

Trump went on to announce Saturday that Venezuelan airspace would be considered «closed in its entirety.» 

The Herald also reported that the Maduro government tried to schedule another call to Washington but received no response.

According to a defense expert familiar with the country’s military and state-linked cartel ties, Maduro and key players in his regime could now face their most serious threat yet.

«I think the operations will start imminently,» former Venezuelan diplomat Vanessa Neumann told Fox News Digital.

«The clearing of the airspace is an indication and a very clear public warning that missiles might be coming to take out command and control infrastructure or retaliatory infrastructure,» Neumann said. «This will not be like breaking a jar into a thousand pieces, this is where you can lift the concentration of power, and it’s easier to manage.»

«The targets have been identified through covert operations over the last several years by people on the ground,» she continued. «So they’re well-mapped. This is a capture-or-kill scenario, but there’s a limit to how many people you can remove quickly.»

On Sunday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One not to «read anything into» his declaring Venezuela’s airspace closed when asked if a strike was imminent. 

«Maduro also doesn’t have that many options, and his military is very weak,» she warned. «You can’t go after 30 people simultaneously, who are spread all around, but certainly high on the list would be Maduro himself.»

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U.S. strikes on drug boats near Venezuelan waters may be targeted at taking out Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. (@realDonald Trump/Truth Social; Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)

Venezuela’s armed forces, once among Latin America’s strongest, have been weakened by years of corruption, sanctions, defections, and lack of maintenance. Much of its equipment, Neumann says, has never even been serviced.

«Their material is extremely old, decayed, and has not been serviced,» Neumann explained. 

«They’ve got junk from the Russians. The stuff they originally had from the Americans is decades old and has not been serviced.

«So, they have neither the personnel, foreign support, nor the material,» she said.

Ahead of shuttering the airspace, the U.S. also officially designated the cartel allegedly linked with Venezuela’s government, the Cartel de los Soles, as a foreign terrorist organization.

«This cartel turned Venezuela’s main oil company into a narcotics trafficking money laundering operation, using the company’s access to international finance, until it was sanctioned,» Neumann, who has worked with governments on countering transnational organized crime linked to the group, explained.

«They were using Venezuelan military jets to bring in cocaine from Colombia, process it in Venezuela, and then move it into Central America and then into Europe.

IRAN BACKS MADURO TO KEEP LATIN AMERICA FOOTHOLD AS TRUMP INCREASES PRESSURE ON VENEZUELA

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro was reportedly told he must leave Venezuela to save himself and his family. (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

«Jet pilots were making a lot of money off that, and they’ve tortured people. They target people, anybody who tell on them, they’re disappeared,» Neumann said. «They’re now one of the prime drug trafficking networks into the United States and Europe, and use their military positions, including their military-to-military relations, to grow and accelerate those movements.»

In fact, in September, the European Parliament also voted in favor of the EU designating Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization.

«The Cartel de Los Soles is also a key collaborator and financier of Hezbollah and some of the drug money has been used to fund terrorist attacks that have killed American citizens, even in the Middle East,» added Neumann, CEO of Asymmetrica Group, which specializes in defense cooperation.

The U.S. has also ramped up a military and intelligence campaign targeting drug-trafficking networks linked to Venezuela, including strikes on suspected narcotics boats.

TRUMP’S STRIKE ON CARTEL VESSEL OFF VENEZUELA SENDS WARNING TO MADURO: ‘NO SANCTUARY’

President Donald Trump walks from Marine One after arriving on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in Washington. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

«The decision is President Trump’s because when he says, ‘Go’, we go. And nobody knows when he’ll say that,» Neumann said. «He has mobilized so many assets down there now. But what President Trump is doing now is long overdue.»

«The timing is right now,» she added. «Because even Maduro’s biggest backers, Russia and Iran, are both on the back foot, and China will not go that far in backing Maduro as it has bigger and broader interests throughout the region.»

She also noted that «Maduro is also weakened because his partners are weakened and have their own issues to deal with,» and that «we also now have a concentration of power and deep repression within the country that’s quite unified, which means it’s easy to flip.»

WASHINGTON’S SHADOW WAR: HOW STRIKES ON CARTELS THREATEN TO COLLAPSE MADURO’S REGIME

Government loyalists hold a poster of the late former President Hugo Chavez outside the presidential palace during a rally in support of President Nicolás Maduro’s reelection one month after the presidential vote, in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024.  (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

Neumann identified others in the regime who may be targeted, including Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, Diosdado Cabello, Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace and Alexander Granko Arteaga, head of Venezuela’s counter-intelligence agency, the DGCIM.

«One of the reasons Granko is an important figure is that he’s one of the reasons why they haven’t capitulated and why there has not been a military uprising,» Neumann explained.

«It’s because of the brutality of the counter-intelligence that they do to their own military, and hundreds of soldiers are tortured. That said, the Venezuelan people have made it clear that they wanted Maduro out and fought democratically but lost,» she added.

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«They voted in elections, protested peacefully, lobbied for sanctions, and lobbied for international support,» Neumann said.

Official peace talks between the U.S. and Ukraine on ending the Ukraine war moved to a productive phase Sunday – but only after President Zelenskyy sent a new-look team to Florida, according to a former Ukrainian government official.

With Rustem Umerov now leading Zelenskyy’s team and longtime adviser and chief of staff Andriy Yermak out, the source claimed the move signaled Kyiv was reassessing its «uncompromising» stance.

The official, who spoke to Fox News Digital on condition of anonymity, said the personnel choice represented a move away from the approach that has shaped Ukraine’s diplomatic strategy for years.

«Yermak had been teaching Zelenskyy to be a ‘Father of the Nation’ and until now, the Ukrainian side has been pushing for an unachievable and uncompromising position,» the former official said.

MOMENTUM BUILDS IN UKRAINE PEACE PUSH, BUT EXPERTS FEAR PUTIN WON’T BUDGE

«Umerov is not a very impressively strong individual in politics, but he wants to achieve results and is known to be aligned with compromise.»

Ukraine’s new delegation also included Andrii Hnatov, head of the armed forces; Andrii Sybiha, the foreign minister; and Umerov, who is head of the country’s security council.

After the meeting, Umerov offered a brief assessment to reporters, saying: «We are grateful to American people, American leadership and a great team with, state secretary, Steve, with both Jared Kushner for their tremendous work with us,» he said.

«Our objective is a prosperous, strong Ukraine. We will [be] discussing [sic] the future of Ukraine. We discussed all the important matters that are important for Ukraine, for Ukrainian people. And the U.S was super supportive.»

«We already had a successful meeting in Geneva, and today we can continue this success. So at the moment, this meeting was productive and successful in the later stages.»

MOMENTUM BUILDS IN UKRAINE PEACE PUSH, BUT EXPERTS FEAR PUTIN WON’T BUDGE

The new team traveled to Florida for discussions aimed at refining President Trump’s proposed framework and his push to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Sunday’s negotiations also took place after a leak published by Bloomberg News, revealed a transcript of an Oct. 14 call where special envoy Steve Witkoff allegedly offered advice to Russian officials on how to sell a peace plan to Trump.

«The Ukrainian side had in some way undermined peace negotiations and Donald Trump’s efforts, not mentioning that it prolongs the war,» the former official said.

UKRAINIAN OFFICIAL YERMAK RESIGNS AS CORRUPTION PROBE ENCIRCLES ZELENSKYY

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak, left, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio talk to the press as their consultations continue at the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)

The same former official said the shift in Kyiv’s delegation followed the dramatic resignation of Yermak, after anti-corruption investigators raided his home on Friday.

«Yermak was deeply distrusted by many actors, including Western actors including the U.S. administration and including Biden’s administration,» the source added.

Despite his exit, the official warned that Yermak’s influence may still be shaping the Ukrainian team.

«Mr. Yermak is still there and, in fact, all the delegation that came to Florida includes Mr. Yermak’s people, his loyal people, very close personally to him –  people who [have] been serving him faithfully for years.»

«Yermak has not disappeared and might be on the telephone or online and ruling the agenda behind the scenes,» they added.

RUBIO, WITKOFF MEET WITH UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS IN PUSH TO FINALIZE DEAL AFTER ZELENSKYY’S TOP NEGOTIATOR RESIGNS

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov and Secretary of State Marco Rubio embrace after a meeting on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Hallandale Beach, Fla. (Terry Renna/AP Photo)

They said Yermak’s long-standing governing style still influences Kyiv’s political posture:

«In Ukraine, as in many post-Soviet countries, there is still the so-called ‘telephone rule’, when a powerful person can influence the outcome of any formal decision-making despite lacking formal powers and in contradiction with the law.»

«Yermak has been doing this for the last six and a half years,» the source added.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Witkoff, and senior advisor Jared Kushner led the American side in Sunday’s session.

Rubio told reporters after the meeting: «We had another very productive session. Building off Geneva, building off the events of this week,» he said.

ZELENSKYY WARNS UKRAINE FACES ‘DIFFICULT CHOICE’ AS US PEACE PLAN HITS MAJOR HURDLE 

White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Jared Kushner listen as Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov speaks while leading Ukrainian delegation during a meeting in Hallandale Beach, Florida, on Nov. 30, 2025.  (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)

«As I told you earlier this morning, our goal here is to end the war,» he continued. «But it’s more than just to end the war. We don’t just want to end the war. We also want to help Ukraine be safe forever. So never again will they face another invasion. And equally importantly, we want them to enter an age of true prosperity.»

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that he had spoken to Rubio and Witkoff and that they were «doing well.»

«Ukraine’s got some difficult little problems,» Trump said. «They have some difficult problems. But I think Russia would like to see it end and I think Ukraine… I know Ukraine would like to see it end.»

He also said he thinks there is «a good chance we can make a deal.»

In a post shared on X, Zelenskyy highlighted Umerov’s work in Florida as the head of the Ukrainian delegation.

«Today, following the work of the teams in the United States, head of the Ukrainian delegation Rustem Umerov reported on the main parameters of the dialogue, its emphases, and some preliminary results,» he said.

«It is important that the talks have a constructive dynamic and that all issues were discussed openly and with a clear focus on ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty and national interests. I am grateful to the United States, to President Trump’s team, and to the President personally for the time that is being invested so intensively in defining the steps to end the war. We will continue working. I look forward to receiving a full report from our team during a personal meeting.»

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Sunday’s talks came just hours after another deadly Russian strike on Kyiv killed at least one person and wounded 19, including four children, Euronews reported.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the war has left huge areas of Ukraine devastated and roughly 20% of its territory under occupation.

El enviado especial de Estados Unidos, Steve Witkoff, viajará a Moscú el lunes, dijo una fuente oficial, en momentos en que Washington presiona para terminar la guerra de Rusia contra Ucrania.

La noticia de la visita de Witkoff a Rusia para conversaciones previstas con el presidente Vladimir Putin el martes llega tras negociaciones este domingo entre altos funcionarios de la administración de Trump y una delegación ucraniana en Florida.

Por su parte, el secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, Marco Rubio, reconoció avances tras una sesión de negociación de cuatro horas con funcionarios de Ucrania, enfocada en delinear las condiciones para poner fin al conflicto con Rusia.

“Tuvimos otra sesión muy productiva, pero aún queda trabajo por hacer”, declaró Rubio ante la prensa al finalizar el encuentro. El diálogo, realizado en Hallandale Beach, se centró en revisar una propuesta base de 28 puntos y en ofrecer garantías de seguridad y prosperidad a Ucrania luego de un eventual alto el fuego.

El jefe negociador ucraniano, Rustem Umerov, resaltó ante Rubio la importancia del respaldo estadounidense y agradeció el apoyo concreto de Washington.

“Estados Unidos nos escucha, nos apoya y está trabajando junto a nosotros”, dijo Umerov. Los demás miembros del equipo ucraniano incluyeron al jefe de las Fuerzas Armadas, Andrii Hnatov, y al asesor presidencial Oleksandr Bevz.

Esta ronda ocurre tras la dimisión de Andrii Yermak, anterior jefe negociador y principal asesor de Volodimir Zelensky, quien renunció después de que su vivienda fue registrada en la investigación por desvío de fondos en el sector energético.

Rubio enfatizó que las discusiones no buscan solo detener la violencia, sino asegurar que Ucrania salga del conflicto con independencia y capacidad de desarrollo sostenido.

“No se trata solo de poner fin a la guerra, sino de condiciones que permitan que Ucrania sea soberana, segura y prospere realmente”, subrayó.

El plan discutido inicialmente preveía que Kiev ceda el control total del Donbas oriental a Rusia, así como límites al tamaño de las fuerzas armadas ucranianas y la exclusión de Ucrania de la OTAN.

Rubio insistió que los negociadores estaban revisando estos puntos polémicos y buscando un equilibrio entre las demandas rusas y las garantías de seguridad y reconstrucción exigidas por Ucrania.

Rubio adelantó que pretendían trabajar los próximos días para solidificar los detalles con la delegación de Vladimir Putin, quien recibirá a Witkoff y posiblemente a Kushner antes de partir hacia India el jueves.

En ese contexto, el presidente Zelensky se pronunció en sus redes sociales destacando “la disposición positiva” de la delegación estadounidense y el enfoque “constructivo” demostrado en las últimas rondas.

“En los próximos días, es factible concretar los pasos para llegar a un fin digno del conflicto”, afirmó Zelensky en su mensaje nocturno del sábado.

Umerov señaló también que el foco sigue siendo la resiliencia y el futuro de Ucrania, más allá del cese de hostilidades.

No obstante, la violencia se mantiene en el campo de batalla. Durante la madrugada del domingo, ataques con drones y misiles rusos mataron al menos a tres personas en Kiev, mientras un dron impactó un edificio residencial en Vyshhorod, al norte de la capital, dejando un muerto y casi veinte heridos.

Este mismo fin de semana, Ucrania reclamó un ataque exitoso contra un terminal petrolero ruso en Novorossiysk, lo que generó una advertencia diplomática de Kazajistán exigiendo que se detengan futuros ataques a instalaciones estratégicas.

Zelensky recalcó en su mensaje diario que Rusia lanza “cientos de drones y misiles cada semana contra la población civil”, por lo que reclamó más defensas antiaéreas y la continuidad del esfuerzo diplomático.

“Necesitamos soluciones reales, fiables, que ayuden a terminar la guerra”, insistió.

La próxima etapa de estas negociaciones incluirá contactos directos con Moscú y la revisión de cualquier nuevo borrador propuesto, en busca de un equilibrio viable entre las concesiones territoriales exigidas por Rusia y las garantías internacionales de seguridad y soberanía reclamadas por Ucrania.