Venezuelan VP Confirms Maduro Sent Letter to Trump Calling to 'Defeat Fake News' and 'Preserve Peace'

Venezuela's vice president Delcy Rodríguez confirmed Sunday that President Nicolás Maduro sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month urging both countries to counter "fake news" and preserve peace through dialogue, amid rising tensions in the Caribbean.

The letter, dated September 6, was delivered through a South American intermediary, Rodríguez stated on her social media channels. It was sent four days after a U.S. drone strike destroyed a boat Washington alleged had departed Venezuela carrying drugs, killing 11 people.

Rodríguez also states that the letter "reflects the irrefutable truth of Venezuela: we are a territory free of illicit activities, peaceful and secure" and that "the military threat against Venezuela, the Caribbean, and South America must end, and the CELAC Peace Zone declaration must be respected."

In the message, Maduro rejected U.S. accusations that he and senior officials are tied to narcotrafficking, calling them "absolutely false." He wrote that such claims are "the worst of the fake news launched against our country to justify an escalation into an armed conflict that would cause catastrophic damage to the entire continent."

Maduro added:

"President, I hope we can together defeat these fake news that fill with noise a relationship that should be historic and peaceful, as our Liberator Simón Bolívar always envisioned"

Finally, Maduro insisted Venezuela is "a territory free of drug production" and said only 5% of Colombian narcotics pass through its borders, before emphasizing his willingness to maintain a "direct and frank" channel with Trump's special envoy Richard Grenell, whom he credited with helping resolve earlier disputes, including over the repatriation of Venezuelan migrants. "This channel has functioned impeccably," the letter stated.

Grenell, speaking September 16 at the CPAC conference in Paraguay, said a diplomatic resolution remains possible despite military deployments in the region. "I believe we can still reach an agreement. I believe in diplomacy. I believe in avoiding war," he said, recounting previous face-to-face talks with Maduro.