Maduro said that during two hushed meetings in New York, his foreign minister invited the Washington-based special envoy for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, to visit "privately, publicly or secretly." Elliott Abrams, U.S. special representative for Venezuela, has been encouraged to come to Venezuela for more talks, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said. Abrams's appointment as special envoy last month signalled the Trump administration's determination to take a tougher line on Venezuela. "The infected hand of Donald Trump is hurting Venezuela," Maduro said. At a petroleum conference in New Delhi, Venezuela's oil minister, Manuel Quevedo, suggested the country was open to a barter system with India to get around U.S. sanctions.

Source: CBC News February 15, 2019 12:33 UTC