Venezuela’s government on Friday said it has begun an exploratory diplomatic phase with the United States, with a view to reestablishing diplomatic presence in both countries, after a US military operation that culminated in the dramatic capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3.
This came as US State Department officials are arriving to carry out technical and logistical assessments, as per the government statement. US officials are also looking at the possibility of reopening its embassy that has been shuttered since 2019.
John McNamara, the top US diplomat in neighbouring Colombia, and other personnel “travelled to Caracas to conduct an initial assessment for a potential phased resumption of operations,” a US official told
AFP on the condition of anonymity.
The United States closed its embassy in Caracas and diplomats left in March 2019 shortly after Washington and a number of its European and Latin American allies declared Maduro to be illegitimate following an election that observers said was riddled with irregularities.
Tensions between the US and Venezuela escalated dramatically as President Donald Trump ordered a raid on Caracas in which American forces removed Maduro, who faces charges in the United States of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking, which he denies.
Diplomats say that the United States has not yet made a formal decision to reopen the embassy, pending logistical concerns, but that it is preparing to do so once Trump gives the green light. Since 2019, the US has run operations for Venezuela from its embassy in Colombia.
That US operation, conducted over the weekend, was confirmed to have resulted in the deaths of at least 24 Venezuelan security officers, with additional casualties among Cuban personnel, as per reports. Trump later claimed 30–50 million barrels of “high‑quality, sanctioned” Venezuelan crude will be shipped to US ports, with the revenue – perhaps more than $2 billion at current market prices – placed under his personal control.
(with inputs from agencies)
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