Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro expressed willingness for direct talks with the US on combating drug trafficking, stating on state TV Thursday (broadcast from a New Year's Eve interview with Ignacio Ramonet) that Venezuela is ready if the US is serious. This follows US drone strikes off Venezuela's coast targeting suspected drug smuggling boats, including a recent CIA operation on a cartel-linked docking area one week prior. Tensions escalated amid Venezuela detaining at least five Americans, such as Staten Island resident James Luckey-Lange, who claims wrongful border detention during a Latin America trip, amid Trump's intensified military and economic pressures.

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