Months before the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, which ended with the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, the administration of Donald Trump sought to craft a negotiated exit for the Venezuelan leader.
In this effort, Brazilian businessman Joesley Batista, owner of the meat-processing company JBS, would have acted as an informal intermediary in a mission to persuade Maduro to step down peacefully, according to reporting by the American newspaper The Washington Post in a piece published on Saturday.
Asked by GLOBO, J&F, the group controlled by the Batista brothers to which JBS belongs, denied requests for comment.
At the start of last year, the then-special envoy of Trump, Richard Grenell, would have led diplomatic negotiation attempts, with occasional support from Qatar and direct contacts with central figures of the Venezuelan government, such as Jorge Rodríguez, former Information Minister and current president of the country’s National Assembly.
The American proposals for Maduro’s exit, however, were rejected by him, according to the report.
With formal negotiation attempts frustrated and pressure inside the White House for tougher measures rising, businessmen would have begun filling the space left by official diplomacy.
Joesley Batista
One of these businessmen would have been Joesley Batista, who would have gone 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, along with other conditions deemed strategic by the United States.
Among the points discussed would be the demand for American access to critical minerals and to oil, as well as severing ties with Cuba, a historic ally of Venezuela, according to sources of the American newspaper who were aware of the meeting.
Batista, who would have business interests in both the United States and Venezuela, had previously leveraged 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 operate officially at the request of the United States, but his information was taken into account by the Trump administration.
Despite the talks, Maduro and his wife reportedly reacted negatively to the proposals, ending the possibility of a negotiated transition. Shortly afterward, Trump concluded that the diplomatic efforts had run their course, paving the way for the military action that culminated in the capture of the Venezuelan president.