Maduro Willing to Meet With Trump As He did With Biden in 2015

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro affirmed Monday that he would be willing to meet and speak with his United States counterpart Donald Trump.

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"Just as I met (Joe) Biden (former U.S. Vice President during Barack Obama) and we talked at length and in a respectful way, which was recorded at the time, also when necessary I am willing to speak respectfully with President Donald Trump," the Venezuelan president told AVN.

This comes as Trump said in an interview on Sunday that he would consider meeting his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro after losing faith in Washington-backed Juan Guaido. However, on Monday Trump backtracked on his comments and assured that he would meet Maduro “only to discuss one thing: a peaceful exit from power."

The current candidate of the U.S. Democratic Party Joe Biden was quick to respond to Trump’s original comment, distancing himself from the Venezuelan president. Yet in 2015, Maduro did meet with Biden during Dilma Roussef’s swearing-in ceremony in Brazil. 

The Venezuelan head of state urged the U.S. at that time “respect” for the country, as Obama had just declared Venezuela an “unusual threat” prompting the series of unilateral sanctions started by the Obama administration and then harden by Trump.