President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday that he had a conversation with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, but if you're hoping for juicy diplomatic details, you're out of luck. Trump's keeping this one close to the vest, even as Washington turns up the heat on Caracas with a curious mix of military posturing and cryptic statements.

A Phone Call That May or May Not Have Mattered

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump was asked point-blank whether he'd talked to Maduro. His response was classic Trump brevity: "I don't want to comment on it. The answer is yes." When pressed about how the conversation went, he offered this gem: "I wouldn't say it went well or badly, it was a phone call."

The New York Times reported last week that the two leaders spoke back in November and discussed the possibility of a meeting on U.S. soil. So there's clearly something happening here, even if nobody wants to say exactly what.

Closed Airspace and Congressional Anxiety

Things got more interesting over the weekend when Trump posted on social media that the airspace above and around Venezuela should be considered "closed in its entirety." He didn't explain how this would actually work or who would enforce it, which naturally sparked plenty of speculation about military strikes.

Trump tried to tamp down the excitement, telling reporters "Don't read anything into it." But Venezuela's government wasn't having it, condemning the statement as a "colonialist threat." Meanwhile, Senate Democrats started raising War Powers concerns, because apparently we're doing this dance again.

Drug Wars and Disputed Strikes

U.S. officials say they're considering various options to counter Maduro's alleged role in sending illegal drugs into America—drugs that kill Americans, according to the administration. Maduro denies these allegations, but that hasn't stopped Washington from exploring ways to potentially oust him or launch new operations following a significant military buildup in the Caribbean.

For months now, U.S. forces have been striking suspected drug boats off Venezuela's coast. But here's where things get messy: human rights organizations, U.N. experts, and even some U.S. allies have condemned these strikes as illegal extrajudicial killings that may violate international law.

Trump addressed allegations that U.S. forces conducted a second strike in September that killed survivors from an initial attack. He said he'd look into it, adding that he wouldn't have wanted such an operation to happen.

Last week, Trump told U.S. service members that land operations targeting suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers would begin "very soon." That statement has only deepened concerns about how far this might escalate and what comes next in what's becoming an increasingly complicated situation.