President Trump said Sunday he was open to talks with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as he considers whether to launch a unilateral attack on Venezuela. In brief remarks to reporters, Trump did not offer details about the possible discussions but said, “Venezuela would like to talk.” Trump’s remarks came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated the organized criminal group Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization. U.S. officials have claimed without evidence Maduro and other government officials lead the cartel. Trump has claimed that allows the Pentagon to target Maduro’s assets and infrastructure inside Venezuela. Meanwhile, the Pentagon said it had killed another three people in the eastern Pacific accused of smuggling drugs by sea, though officials offered no evidence. That brings the reported toll to 83 people killed across 21 strikes since early September.

This comes amid the largest buildup of U.S. forces in the Caribbean since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, involving nearly a dozen Navy ships and about 15,000 sailors and Marines. In Caracas, President Nicolás Maduro warned the U.S. public against allowing the Trump administration to lead the U.S. into a new “forever war” in South America.

President Nicolás Maduro: “Do we want another Gaza, now in South America? What do the people of the United States say? Do you want a new Afghanistan? Do you want Vietnam again? Do you want Libya once more? Or worse, do you want a new Gaza in South America? Let me tell you: no, no and no. Here peace will triumph, international law will triumph.”