Months before the United States’ military intervention in Venezuela, which ended with the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, Donald Trump’s government tried to build a negotiated exit for the Venezuelan leader.
In this effort, Brazilian businessman Joesley Batista, owner of the meat processing company JBS, acted as an informal interlocutor in a mission to convince Maduro to leave power peacefully, according to the American newspaper. Washington Post in a report published this Saturday.
Wanted by GLOBOJ&F, a group controlled by the Batista brothers to which JBS belongs, denied requests for comment.
At the beginning of last year, Trump’s then special envoy, Richard Grenell, would have led diplomatic attempts at negotiation, with occasional support from Qatar and direct contacts with central figures in the Venezuelan government, such as Jorge Rodríguez, former Minister of Information and current president of the country’s National Assembly.
American proposals for Maduro’s departure, however, were rejected by him, according to the report.
With attempts at formal negotiations frustrated and increasing pressure within the White House for tougher measures, businesspeople would have started to fill the space left by official diplomacy.
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Joesley Batista
One of these businessmen was Joesley Batista, who went to Caracas at the end of November, bringing a proposal that included Maduro’s resignation and the possibility of exile in countries such as Turkey, in addition to other conditions considered strategic by the United States.
Among the points discussed by them would be the demand for American access to critical minerals and oil, in addition to the break with Cuba, Venezuela’s historical ally, according to sources from the American newspaper who were aware of the meeting.
Batista, who has commercial interests in both the United States and Venezuela, had previously taken advantage of his global influence to act as an intermediary in negotiations over tariffs imposed by Trump on Brazilian products.
According to a senior White House official, the businessman did not act officially at the request of the United States, but his information was taken into consideration by the Trump administration.
Despite the negotiations, Maduro and his wife reportedly reacted negatively to the proposals, ending the possibility of a negotiated transition. Shortly afterwards, Trump concluded that diplomatic efforts had been exhausted, paving the way for military action that culminated in the capture of the Venezuelan president.
