ISTANBUL

The White House said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s letter to US President Donald Trump, in which he called for a meeting, contained “a lot of lies.”

“We have seen this letter. Frankly, I think there were a lot of lies that were repeated by Maduro in that letter, and the administration’s position on Venezuela has not changed,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday.

She said the US views the Maduro regime as illegitimate and that Trump is ready to take all necessary measures to stop the Venezuelan regime’s illegal drug trafficking into the US.

Venezuela confirmed on Sunday that Maduro had sent a letter to Trump proposing the establishment of direct dialogue between the two countries.

In the letter, dated Sept. 6, Maduro rejected accusations that his government is linked to “mafia and drug trafficking networks,” calling the allegations “completely unfounded” and describing such claims and “fake news” as harmful to bilateral relations.

The letter also dismissed reports that Venezuela had refused to accept the return of deported migrants, stressing that those stories were false.

Asked about the letter and Venezuela’s reported call for negotiations, President Trump declined to comment directly, saying: “We’ll see what happens with Venezuela.”

Trump has dispatched warships and a submarine to the southern Caribbean on counter narcotics missions, and US forces have destroyed at least three suspected Venezuelan drug boats in recent weeks.