Juan Guaidó, Venezuela's opposition leader, has been forced to consider negotiations with President Nicolas Maduro, The New York Times is reporting.
As a call for a military uprising against Maduro failed, Guaidó is now shuttling between six safe houses to avoid capture. Most of those military officers who had supported his call and many legislators who backed him have either been jailed or have found refuge in foreign embassies, according to the newspaper.
The protests against Maduro in Venezuela, which had seemed to gain momentum in January, appear to have dissipated, the Times reported.
Now, both Guaidó and Maduro have sent their representatives to Norway for talks. It is a move Guaidó previously had rejected. But the differences between the two sides are likely to slow any chance of progress.
Guaidó remained cautious.
"We will not lend ourselves to false negotiations," he said.
He insisted his goal remained to remove Maduro and have free and fair elections.
And even as the Trump administration. turned its focus to Iran, U.S. sanctions are reportedly ravaging Venezuelan's oil sector and imports and making it difficult for Maduro to govern, the newspaper said.
But Félix Seijas, director of Caracas-based pollster Delphos, which has advised the opposition, said the Venezuelan government remains confident it has the situation under control.
"The government feels that the time is in their favor, and they are not necessarily wrong," Seijas said. "Neither side can strong-arm the other, but the government feels this situation is something they can manage and control."