The White House rejected the Venezuelan president's request for dialogue

Venezuelan President Maduro wrote to US President Trump, urging dialogue to ease tensions between the two countries. The White House rejected his request and said the letter was "full of lies".

AFP reported that the Venezuelan government released a letter written by Maduro to Trump on Sunday (September 21). In the letter, Maduro said that the US accusation that he led a drug cartel was "purely fictional", and he urged Trump to maintain peace.

White House Press Secretary Levitt responded on Monday (22nd) that Maduro's letter was "full of lies". She made it clear that the Trump administration's stance on Venezuela has not changed and still regards the latter as an illegal regime. In August, the United States dispatched eight warships and one submarine to the southern Caribbean Sea under the pretext of cracking down on drug trafficking gangs in Latin America. The scale was far larger than usual. Venezuela is worried that this might be a prelude to an invasion.

The US military has destroyed at least three Venezuelan vessels suspected of transporting drugs in recent weeks, killing more than ten people.

Maduro accused Trump of attempting to interfere in the regime change. Venezuela's Defense Minister Lopez accused the United States of launching an "undeclared war" in the Caribbean last week and emphasized that the personnel on the so-called drug ships were "executed without defense rights".

Thousands of Venezuelans responded to Maduro's call and joined the militia to strengthen the country's defense.

However, some Venezuelans welcomed the US military's operation, hoping that it would accelerate the downfall of the Maduro regime. Two opposition leaders also support the US deployment of additional naval forces near Venezuela, saying that this move is crucial for restoring democracy.