Maduro Reportedly Offered Free Elections In Exchange For Keeping Control Of The Armed Forces; Trump Said No

Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro reportedly offered Donald Trump holding free elections in exchange for keeping control of the country's armed forces, but the latter refused the deal, according to a new report.

The Miami Herald detailed that the failed negotiation took place during the phone call between the two days ago. There, Maduro also asked for global amnesty "for any crimes he and his group had committed, and was rejected," the outlet said, citing a source.

The third sticking point between the parties was that Washington D.C. demanded Maduro resign immediately, to which Caracas refused.

There has not been any apparent progress since, and shortly after the administration officially designated the Cartel de los Soles, which the administration accuses Maduro and his top officials of leading, as a terrorist organization, paving the way for strikes inside Venezuela. And on Saturday, Trump said Venezuela's airspace should be considered "closed."

The Washington Post also noted that Turkey has risen as a potential destination should an off-ramp be agreed on. The outlet noted that noted that Caracas and Ankara have friendly ties, exchanging cabinet-level visits in recent years, and have a dynamic trade relationship.

As a result, and considering that Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a good relationship with Trump, some in Washington D.C. are actively contemplating the possibility.

"At the end of day, what are realistic and acceptable outcomes? Obviously, people are thinking about it, working on it," a person familiar with administration deliberations told the outlet. The person said such a deal could come with guarantees. Namely, assurances that Maduro wouldn't be extradited to the U.S.

In contrast, another report from this week noted that Maduro is reluctant to agree to any deal to leave power because he doesn't believe he would get lasting amnesty.

The Wall Street Journal noted that Maduro only feels safe among loyalists, and both him and his inner circle believe the Trump administration is bluffing with its military campaign off the country's coast.

The only way to oust him, they claim, would be physically sending troops to Venezuela, something they consider unlikely. "The calculation for Maduro is that he will always be safer here than anywhere else," Phil Gunson, analyst for the International Crisis Group, told the outlet.

Maduro, on his end, made his first public appearance in days on Sunday, ending speculation that he had fled the country.

Maduro, who typically appears on state television multiple times per week, had not been seen since Wednesday, when he posted a video driving around Caracas on Telegram. His absence fueled widespread rumors about his whereabouts, especially after flight-tracking data reviewed by CNN Brasil during the weekend showed a Venezuelan government jet flew to the Brazilian border and back.

He resurfaced at an annual specialty-coffee awards ceremony in eastern Caracas, where he awarded medals to producers and sampled different brews while delivering brief remarks that did not directly address the escalating crisis, as CNN reports. At the end of his appearance, he declared that Venezuela was "indestructible, untouchable, unbeatable" while discussing the country's economy.