Nicolas Maduro has said he is ready to strike a deal with Donald Trump as the US ramps up pressure on his regime.

The Venezuelan leader said he would open up the country to American oil companies and address anger in Washington about drug trafficking by clamping down on smugglers.

Mr Trump has deployed the largest military force in generations to the Caribbean and, since August, has struck what his administration claims are Venezuelan “narco-boats”, vessels laden with drugs headed to the US from the Caribbean.

Last month, he imposed a blockade of sanctioned tankers heading in and out of the country, seemingly in an attempt to choke off Mr Maduro’s oil revenues, while the US reportedly launched its first strike on Venezuelan soil on Christmas Eve.

In an interview with a Caracas-based news network broadcast on Thursday, Mr Maduro said he was “ready” to discuss a deal to crack down on drug smugglers.

“The US government knows, because we’ve told many of their spokespeople, that if they want to seriously discuss an agreement to combat drug trafficking, we’re ready,” he said.

He continued: “If they want oil, Venezuela is ready for US investment… whenever they want it, wherever they want it and however they want it.”

Mr Maduro has twice before offered to make a deal with Mr Trump. In December, The Telegraph revealed that the Venezuelan leader had offered to step down in exchange for $200m of his private wealth, amnesty for his officials and safe harbour in a friendly country.

The White House did not agree.

He reportedly previously offered to step down after two more years in power. However, the Trump administration did not agree to the terms.

Mr Trump has frequently aired his frustrations on both issues. His administration claims Mr Maduro is the head of a drug-smuggling cartel and has flooded the US with illegal narcotics, while forcing out American oil companies.

“They took our oil rights – we had a lot of oil there. As you know, they threw our companies out, and we want it back,” the president said in December.

Chevron Corp is the only major company exporting Venezuelan crude oil to the US.

Despite Mr Maduro’s apparent attempt to head off rising tensions, a US official told CNN that Venezuelan security forces had detained at least five Americans in recent months to build leverage against Washington.

The administration has made no secret of its desire to force Mr Maduro from power, and Mr Trump has repeatedly said the Venezuelan leader’s “days are numbered”.

The US president has deployed military assets, including the USS Gerald R Ford, the nation’s largest aircraft carrier, to the Caribbean, and the campaign of strikes on alleged drug boats has killed at least 115 people.

However, Mr Trump has suggested he is open to a diplomatic solution and spoke to Mr Maduro by phone in November.

Elsewhere in the interview, Mr Maduro accused the US of attempting to force him from office and bring about regime change through “intimidation”.

“What are they seeking? It is clear that they seek to impose themselves through threats, intimidation and force,” he said, claiming the administration was trying to gain access to his country’s vast oil reserves.

It is time for both nations to “start talking seriously, with data in hand”, he added.

On Monday, Mr Trump, who has repeatedly threatened land strikes against Venezuela, said the US hit a dock last week used by drug traffickers.

“There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,” he told reporters.

Sources have said the CIA, which the president has previously authorised to conduct covert action in Venezuela, was behind the strike. The agency has declined to comment.

Mr Maduro refused to address the operation, but suggested he would “talk about it in a few days”.