options

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is facing sharp scrutiny this week over its approach to Venezuela after turning its focus to the beleaguered nation, weighing U.S. military strikes against a Latin American state for the first time in more than 35 years.

President Trump scheduled a meeting with top generals and Cabinet officials on the matter at the White House on Monday evening, debating target options now available with the deployment of more than a dozen warships to the Caribbean Sea.

Trump has sent conflicting signals to the country’s dictatorial president, Nicolás Maduro, whose grip on power since 2013 has decimated Venezuela’s economy and prompted a massive migration crisis. Trump warned air traffic away from Venezuelan skies before speaking by phone with Maduro over the weekend, only to caution reporters trying to interpret his actions against predicting his next moves.

Whether Trump will choose to go to war with Venezuela has become a source of alarm on Capitol Hill as new revelations emerge about his team’s tactics for escalating the conflict.

The White House has accused Maduro of driving migrants and drugs across America’s borders, and has begun pressuring his government with military strikes targeting maritime vessels — in international waters, but departing from Venezuela — that the Defense Department claims have been used to smuggle illegal narcotics.

The first of those attacks targeting alleged drug traffickers, conducted on Sept. 2, included a second strike ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “kill them all,” according to a report by the Washington Post.

The Post report has prompted the Republican-led House and Senate committees overseeing the Pentagon to vow “rigorous oversight” of the boat strikes. Trump told reporters Sunday that he “wouldn’t have wanted” the military to launch a second strike to kill those who survived the initial attack.

“The first strike was very lethal, it was fine, and if there were two people around,” Trump said before quickly adding, “but Pete said that didn’t happen. I have great confidence in Pete.”

Yet White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Monday that multiple strikes were authorized by Hegseth against the target that day.

Hegseth authorized Adm. Frank M. Bradley, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, to conduct strikes “well within his authority and the law to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States was eliminated,” Leavitt said at a press briefing.

Trump also confirmed that he spoke by phone with Maduro, but declined to elaborate on what was discussed.

“I wouldn’t say it went well or badly,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “It was a call.”

The disclosure of the conversation came as the administration intensified its pressure campaign on Caracas over the holiday weekend, starting with the president issuing a series of warnings.

Trump warned airlines and pilots on Saturday that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered “CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”

Trump told reporters he made the declaration “because we consider Venezuela not to be a very friendly country.” But when asked whether his warning signaled an imminent U.S. airstrike in Venezuela, Trump demurred, telling a reporter: “Don’t read anything into it.”

There is no guarantee that talks with Maduro will lead to his exit, or that the Trump administration would be satisfied with any other outcome, said Geoff Ramsey, a Venezuela expert at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based research group.

Maduro could pitch Trump on access for U.S. oil companies — possibly at the expense of Russian and Chinese competitors — without any move toward democratization in Venezuela, an outcome that would disappoint many seeking leadership change in Caracas.

“A clear sticking point here is what kind of negotiations that Caracas and Washington want. The Trump administration so far has expressed interest in negotiating which flight Maduro takes out of the country,” Ramsey said. “For Maduro, that’s clearly a nonstarter. So until we see a clear sense of flexibility from Washington and Caracas, I think this stalemate is going to continue.”

Maduro has consistently refused to leave office, despite punishing U.S. sanctions, massive protests, and various offensives during the first Trump administration that Caracas deemed as coup attempts. “The reality is that many previous attempts to condition talks of Maduro’s immediate departure have led nowhere,” Ramsey added.

There are no signs of weakening support for Maduro within the military, nor have there been the kinds of large-scale defections that were seen within his security forces in 2019, when Trump, in his first term, initially sought to oust Maduro. At that time, he refrained from a direct military attack.

A few hours after the president’s remarks, Hegseth posted an altered image of the children’s book character Franklin the Turtle reimagined as a militarized figure using a machine gun firing at suspected drug boats. The mock book cover was titled: “A Classic Franklin Story: Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists.”

Hegseth posted the image on social media with the caption: “For your Christmas wish list … ”

Trump sparked more controversy in the region when he announced Friday his plan to pardon Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras who was convicted last year on cocaine trafficking charges and sentenced to 45 years in U.S. prison.

U.S. prosecutors said Hernández received millions of dollars in bribes to help traffickers smuggle 400 tons of cocaine into the United States. Once, they alleged, the right-wing president bragged about stuffing “drugs up the gringos’ noses.”

Trump said Hernández had been a victim of political persecution, although he offered no evidence of that claim.

News of the pardon shocked many in Latin America and raised new doubts about Trump’s U.S. military campaign in the region, which White House officials insist is aimed at combating drug cartels that they compare to terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda.

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) accused Trump of hypocrisy for freeing a convicted drug smuggler and suggested that the ongoing U.S. military campaign in the region was politically motivated.

“Don’t tell me Donald Trump is killing people in boats in the Caribbean to stop drug trafficking,” Castro said on X.

While Trump’s endgame in Venezuela is unclear, he has made his desires in Honduras explicit.

Ahead of Sunday’s presidential election in the Central American nation, Trump endorsed conservative candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura of the National Party, which Hernández also belonged to. An early vote count Monday showed Asfura with a narrow lead over Liberal Party candidate Salvador Nasralla.

Times staff writers Wilner and Ceballos reported from Washington, Linthicum and McDonnell from Mexico City.

Russia’s Sukhoi Su-57 Felon is benefiting from lessons learned in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, according to the head of the country’s state-run defense conglomerate Rostec. Work to continue evolving the jet’s design is visible at this year’s Dubai Airshow, especially through a model depicting an export “Su-57E” variant featuring two-dimensional thrust-vectoring exhaust nozzles. A pre-production prototype is also on display and flying at the event, sporting a new wide-area cockpit display.

Speaking through a translator, Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov talked about the Su-57, as well as other Russian aviation and defense industry developments, with TWZ and other outlets on the sidelines of the Dubai Airshow yesterday. Among his remarks, he also claimed that work to improve the Felon’s capabilities based on feedback from real-world combat operations has led to a surge in overseas interest in the type. On Monday, Vadim Badekha, head of the United Aircraft Corporation, of which Sukhoi is currently a division, separately announced the delivery of the first two Su-57s to an unnamed foreign customer, something we will come back to later on.

“So, I will not confirm any contract number or any of our partners,” Chemezov said, responding to a question about export orders, according to the translator. “I can definitely highlight that we have a very huge demand from many countries for this particular aircraft, and we’re hoping to even expand this demand.”

The video below offers a close-up walkaround of the pre-production Su-57 prototype at this year’s Dubai Airshow.

“The upgrade of the fighter jet is kind of a non-stop process that continues as we continue our special military operation, we get the feedback from our pilots from the war zone, and we are tweaking and adjusting our equipment accordingly,” Chemezov also said in response to a separate query about recent updates to the Su-57 design, again per the translator. “And that’s why you can witness the high demand from our foreign customers, because they understand, and they know that our equipment goes through a continuous upgrade based on the experience we gain in the real combat environment.”

The extent to which Su-57s have been used in combat in the ongoing war in Ukraine, which the Russian government refers to as a “special military operation,” is unclear. Reports have said the jets flew their first combat missions in support of operations in Ukraine within weeks of Russia launching its all-out invasion in 2022. Additional reporting, as recently as last year, has claimed that Su-57s have continued taking part in the conflict, on and off, at least on some level, flying air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, but hard details remain scant. There are reports that an Su-57 was responsible for shooting down a friendly S-70 Okhotnik-B (Hunter-B) flying wing unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) over Ukraine in an incident last year that you can read more about here.

How many Su-57s the Russians have in service currently is also unclear. The Russian Air Force only began to receive serial production examples in 2022 after placing an order for a relatively modest 76 jets. Around 18 aircraft are at least understood to have been delivered between then and the end of 2024. Whether more deliveries have occurred this year is unclear. At least one Su-57 (and possibly two) was at least damaged in a Ukrainian attack on Akhtubinsk airfield last year.

A total of 10 pre-production prototypes, also referred to as T-50s, were also built, but not all of them are flyable, let alone suitable for operational use. The type’s first flight came on January 29, 2010, more than 15 years ago.

Chemezov did not elaborate on how any real combat experiences have directly impacted the design and capabilities of the Su-57 while speaking yesterday in Dubai, where the Su-57 has been heavily showcased. This has included a flight demonstration that offered the best look to date at the jet’s internal weapons bays.

As noted, there is a scale model of an Su-57E with two-dimensional thrust-vectoring exhaust nozzles on display at this year’s Dubai Airshow. This nozzle design has been seen in the past and is also linked to work on an improved engine for the Felon, the AL-51F-1 turbofan, as you can read more about here.

As TWZ has previously written:

“In its initial form, the AL-51F-1 also retains a similar three-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzle, but what we see in the new imagery is an alternative nozzle, this time of the two-dimensional type, which provides pitch control as well as limited roll control if engaged asymmetrically. It isn’t clear if the angled installation of the nozzle is meant to provide extra control in the latter.

This kind of stealthy ‘flat’ engine nozzle is also used on the F-22 Raptor, for example, and is primarily chosen to reduce radar signature compared with an axisymmetric nozzle design. It also provides infrared signature advantages, as well.

…

For the Su-57, the flat nozzle would bring notable advantages in terms of improving its low observability from the rear aspect. The original design of the Felon better optimized low observability from the frontal aspect, with less attention paid to the side and rear aspects. At the same time, the revised nozzles will reduce thrust output to some degree, but this is clearly considered a worthwhile penalty based on the improved low-observable aspects it brings…”

As an aside, the Russians are also showing off a relatively new turbofan engine design called the Izdeliye 177S at this year’s Dubai Airshow. This engine was first unveiled at the Zhuhai Airshow in China last year. It is reportedly a derivative of the AL-41F-1, the original engine for the Su-57, which also incorporates technology from the AL-51F-1. It has been presented a potential powerplant for new-production export Su-57s, as well as an upgrade option for existing jets with AL-31 engines, especially newer generation Flanker variants.

As also mentioned, the flying pre-production prototype on display at the Dubai Airshow, also known as T-50-9, has notably received a new wide-area display in its cockpit. This is said to be reflective of the Su-57E configuration the Russians are now pitching to prospective export customers. The single-screen unit replaces two smaller displays that had previously been installed. Large, wide-area displays are an increasingly common feature on modern fighters, offering various benefits, above all else providing more overall customizable ‘real estate’ for users to work with and enhanced situational awareness when combined with upgraded processing power.

In terms of actual Su-57 export sales to date, the Russians have only explicitly talked about a firm order from one customer. Algeria is widely posited as being the country in question following a report earlier this year from one of the country’s state-run television networks. Visual confirmation of the delivery of Su-57s to the Algerian Air Force, or any other foreign customer, has yet to emerge.

“Our foreign customer, our foreign partner, has already received the first two aircraft,” Vadim Badekha, United Aircraft Corporation’s General Director, had said on Monday in an interview with Russia’s state-run Channel One television station. “They have begun combat duty and are demonstrating their best qualities. Our customer is satisfied.”

There are broader questions about Russia’s ability to produce Su-57s, or other combat jets, in the face of years of Western sanctions. In Dubai yesterday, Rostec’s Chemezov acknowledged, but downplayed the impacts of sanctions, touting Russia’s resourcefulness in sourcing alternative items domestically. These claims aside, there is substantial evidence that Russia’s defense industry, overall, continues to acquire electronics and other key components from overseas, including from the West and increasingly from China, despite international sanctions.

Chemezov also said that Russian defense exports have been cut roughly in half since the start of the war in Ukraine. However, he blamed this on higher demand from Russia’s own armed forces rather than a drop in international interest in Russian arms. There are certainly reports that some countries have been working to decouple their defense procurement plans from Russia for geopolitical reasons in recent years. Nations that buy Russian weapon systems may also be at risk of triggering secondary sanctions, especially from the United States.

When it comes to the Su-57 specifically, Russia has reportedly offered a degree of local production as part of past pitches to the United Arab Emirates and India to help offset concerns about domestic capacity and sanctions. Bringing additional partners into the Su-57 program would also help reduce the cost burden on the Russian side. India previously cooperated with Russia on the development of a country-specific version of the jet before dropping out in 2018, reportedly over disappointment in the aircraft’s expected capabilities and how the program was progressing overall.

From Dubai Airshow:

Ahead of Putin visit, Russia Pitches to Delhi the Production of Su-57 Fighter Jet in India.

Senior representative of Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport says our “technology transfer comes without restrictions and possible sanctions.” pic.twitter.com/tnxbHeQPgc

— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) November 18, 2025

Renewed discussions about Su-57 exports, especially in the Middle East, now also come against the backdrop of a prospective U.S. sale to Saudi Arabia of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. The White House confirmed late yesterday that President Donald Trump had approved the deal, though members of Congress could still seek to block it, and other steps would also be required to finalize it. Saudi Arabia, as well as the United Arab Emirates, have pursued F-35 purchases in the past, but have been rebuffed, largely over operational security concerns and potential negative impacts to Israel’s so-called “qualitative edge” militarily in the region.

Trump has also taken a favorable stance when it comes to readmitting Turkey to the F-35 program. The Turkish government had been ejected from the program in 2019 in large part over its decision to purchase S-400 surface-to-air missile systems from Russia.

The Su-57 has often been presented as a potential alternative for many countries that cannot get approval to buy F-35s. A significant shift in U.S. policy when it comes to countries eligible to buy Joint Strike Fighters could have impacts on prospects for future Su-57 sales.

Rostec’s Chemezov was asked yesterday about direct competition between the Su-57 and the F-35. He downplayed any such rivalry, saying prospective customers are free to choose whatever design they think best suits their needs, according to the translator.

The international fighter market is not limited to Russia and the United States, either. China, in particular, is making increasing inroads in this space globally, and export variants or derivatives of its J-35 stealth fighter could be on the horizon.

While many significant questions remain about the future of the Su-57, even just in Russian service, work is clearly continuing at least on a level to improve the design, and with renewed focus on potential export sales.

Jamie Hunter contributed to this report.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com