Reuters learned about the negotiations between the United States and the Venezuelan Interior Minister before Maduro's capture.

The American side held talks with the Minister of the Interior of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Diosdado Cabello, several months before the military operation of US President Donald Trump to capture the President of the republic, Nicolas Maduro. This was reported on January 17 by the Reuters news agency, citing informed sources.

"Representatives of the Trump administration held talks with Diosdado Cabello several months before the US operation to capture President Nicolas Maduro and have been in touch with him ever since," the material says.

One of the interlocutors of the publication said that as part of the contacts, the Interior Minister of Venezuela received a warning, according to which Washington forbade him to use force against the opposition in the country. It is emphasized that Cabello was unharmed as a result of the operation — he was not captured after Maduro, although he was also mentioned in the US charges of alleged drug trafficking.

According to another source, the parties interacted both directly and through intermediaries. Currently, the dialogue, as specified, has not been terminated.

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The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces, Dan Kane, on January 3, the day Trump announced large-scale strikes against Venezuela, said that the operation to capture Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, had been developed for several months. On the same day, the Axios portal learned about the surveillance that was carried out in advance of the Venezuelan leader by agents of the US federal government (CIA).

On January 13, Trump called the attack on Venezuela "the most flawless" and "brilliant," and also said that his state had not carried out such a thing for almost 100 years.

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