WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump on Monday refused to rule out sending American troops to Venezuela, while adding that he will “probably” talk to President Nicolas Maduro.

Asked by reporters at the White House whether he would rule out the deployment of US forces on the ground, Trump replied: “I don't rule out that. I don't rule out anything.”

“We just have to take care of Venezuela. They dumped hundreds of thousands of people into our country from prisons,” he said. “We have a tight border right now; nobody comes in, but we had millions of people pouring through a year ago.”

Trump also said he is open to speaking directly with Maduro as tensions continue to rise in the Caribbean, where the US has carried out a series of strikes on vessels it alleges are involved in drug trafficking.

When asked if he would commit to talking to Maduro before authorizing additional strikes, Trump said he “probably would talk to him.”

His remarks also followed Washington’s move to designate the Venezuela-based Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), granting broader legal authority for US agencies to target entities linked to Maduro, whom Trump accuses of leading the network.

Trump also signaled a willingness to take similar action in neighboring countries, saying he would be open to launching strikes inside Mexico and Colombia to disrupt drug flows.

“Would I launch strikes in Mexico to stop drugs? It's okay with me, whatever we have to do to stop drugs,” he said. “Colombia has cocaine factories where they make cocaine. Would I knock out those factories? I would be proud to do it…because we're going to save millions of lives.”