Marco Rubio confirms the Cartel de los Soles designation under Section 219, citing the group's corruption of Venezuelan institutions and drug trafficking.

President Donald Trump has suggested his administration could soon hold talks with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

But the looming possibility of military action against Venezuela – across a wide spectrum of violent options – drags the White House into realms of foreign involvement it has always said it loathed.

Trump reiterated that he “probably would talk to” Maduro, but underscored that he is not taking off the table the possibility of military action on Venezuelan territory.