BOGOTA, Colombia

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro confirmed Wednesday that he spoke by phone with his US counterpart Donald Trump around 10 days ago.

The call was initiated by the White House and conducted "in a tone of respect," Maduro said during an event broadcast by state-run Venezolana de Television.

Trump briefly confirmed the conversation on Sunday but offered few details.

"I wouldn't say it went well or badly. It was a phone call," he said.

Maduro was optimistic about the diplomatic channel.

"If that call means that steps are being taken toward respectful dialogue between states, between countries, then dialogue is welcome, diplomacy is welcome, because we will always seek peace," he said, then emphasizing his message in English.

"Welcome dialogue, welcome diplomats, welcome peace. Peace, yes. War, never, never in your life," he said.

The call occurred amid a significant escalation in military tensions and US operations targeting Venezuela.

Tensions heightened last Saturday after Trump's announcement that the airspace “above and surrounding” Venezuela was to be considered closed "in its entirety."

In August, the US deployed a fleet of warships to the Caribbean and the world's largest aircraft carrier in November, citing the need to combat drug trafficking.

The US has carried out at least 21 strikes in both the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean on boats suspected of transporting narcotics since September, killing at least 83 people.

Earlier this week, Trump reiterated his warning that he would soon begin targeting Venezuelan drug trafficking networks "by land."

While the Trump administration asserts that it is targeting Venezuela as part of a push to combat drug trafficking in the region, the Maduro government counters that Washington is seeking to "appropriate Venezuela’s vast oil reserves through the lethal use of military force," suggesting the anti-drug efforts are merely groundwork for an attempt to unlawfully remove Maduro from power.