Trump halts diplomatic outreach to Venezuela after US strikes on drug vessels

US President Donald Trump has called off efforts to reach a diplomatic agreement with Venezuela and instructed his special envoy, Richard Grenell, to stop all outreach, a senior US official said on Monday.

The news, first reported by The New York Times, follows a series of military strikes on vessels carrying drugs near Venezuela. Trump told Congress that the US is engaged in “a non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels.