President Donald Trump reportedly spoke by phone last week with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, discussing the possibility of an in-person meeting even as Washington intensifies military and diplomatic pressure on Caracas.

The late-week conversation — which included Secretary of State Marco Rubio — came just before a State Department designation took effect labeling Maduro the head of a foreign terrorist organization, the Cartel de los Soles, sources told The New York Times.

While the two leaders floated the idea of meeting in the United States, no plans are currently in place.

The call arrives amid a major U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean. Officials say the deployment is aimed at deterring drug trafficking, but they have also openly talked about Maduro stepping down, even hinting that force remains an option.

The United States has already conducted missile strikes on Venezuelan boats accused of smuggling narcotics, and Trump said on Thanksgiving that "land-based operations" could begin "very soon."

Maduro has previously sought to ease tensions by offering the United States a stake in Venezuela's oil industry, but those discussions were cut off after he refused to step aside from power following a 2024 election the U.S. deemed corrupt.

Both the White House and the Venezuelan government declined to comment on the latest call, though two people close to Caracas confirmed to the Times it occurred.

The conversation may signal a potential diplomatic off-ramp, but administration officials remain focused on an outcome that leads to Maduro stepping down from office.