A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced a resolution reaffirming their support for elections in Venezuela and calling for the release of political prisoners; talks between Venezuela’s interim government and a faction of the opposition are expected to begin in the coming days (Reuters).
Earthquake Death Toll Surpasses Six Thousand
The death toll from the Venezuela earthquakes has risen to 6,125, according to top lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez (Reuters).
Separately, the United States sent a plane carrying 147 deportees to Venezuela for the first time since the June earthquakes (NYT).
World Bank Assesses $19.6 Billion in Earthquake Damages
Venezuela’s earthquakes on June 24 caused $19.6 billion in direct physical damage, but the cost of rebuilding could be twice that much or more, according to a World Bank early assessment (Reuters).
Maduro Trial Date Set for Next June
Former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife will go on trial on drug trafficking charges on June 1, 2027, a judge said; both face potential life prison sentences if a jury agrees that they were part of a conspiracy to send cocaine into the United States (AP).
Earthquake Death Toll Surpasses Five Thousand
The death toll from the June 24 earthquakes rose to 5,069, local authorities said; the interim government of President Delcy Rodríguez added that an additional 16,740 are injured (AP).
EU Provides Additional €20 Million in Aid After Earthquake
The European Union is providing a further €20 million ($22.8 million) in humanitarian aid to help Venezuela deal with last month’s earthquake; the package comes in addition to a €5 million aid package approved in June and €52 million in assistance announced at the start of the year (Reuters).
Rodríguez Signs Oil and Gas Reform Framework
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez signed regulations implementing a reform to Venezuela’s main oil law to attract investment in the oil and gas sector (Reuters).
After days of widespread criticism of the official response, interim President Delcy Rodríguez rejected allegations that her government reacted too slowly to the destruction caused by the earthquakes (Reuters).
Earthquake Death Tolls Rises to 1,450
The search for survivors continues four days after two earthquakes devastated Venezuela; the death toll has risen to 1,450, with more than 3,000 injured and 12,000 displaced, according to the Venezuelan government (NYT)
Two Earthquakes Kill At Least 188
Back-to-back earthquakes—the worst earthquakes to hit Venezuela in nearly six decades—killed at least 188 people and injured 1,500, according to Jorge Rodríguez, the president of Venezuela’s national assembly (NYT)
Rodríguez Signs Deal with General Electric
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez signed an agreement with U.S. energy giant General Electric to rebuild the country’s electricity grid, the latest sign that Rodríguez is opening Venezuela’s economy to U.S. investors and companies (BBC)
U.S. Strike Kills Tren de Aragua Gang Leader
President Trump said that a U.S. strike killed Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the leader of the Tren de Aragua gang, which has been labeled by the United States as a terrorist organization (AP)
Exxon in Negotiations to Reenter Venezuelan Oil Market
The New York Times reported that Exxon Mobil is in negotiations with Venezuela to acquire rights to produce oil in up to six fields across the country; the Venezuelan government has nationalized Exxon’s assets twice in recent decades (NYT)
BP in Venezuela
The energy firm has signed an agreement with the acting Venezuelan government to explore joint gas production, BP said in a statement; the firm’s plans include an offshore gas drilling program and opening a permanent office in Caracas, Venezuelan state television reported (Bloomberg)
The deal is part of a recent push to revive Venezuela’s hydrocarbon sector after the U.S. ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro; it has also included new agreements with Italy’s Eni and Spain’s Repsol (Reuters)
IMF and World Bank Back in Venezuela
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank announced yesterday they are resuming formal relations with Venezuela, which were suspended in 2019 amid the country’s political crisis (IMF;World Bank)
Once formally restored, IMF ties would give Caracas access to an estimated $5 billion worth of reserves at the fund; the World Bank’s last loan to the country was in 2005 (Reuters)
Rodríguez Remains Acting President After Appointment Expires
Delcy Rodríguez surpassed the Venezuelan high court’s ninety-day cap on her acting presidency Monday—a role she assumed after the United States captured Nicolás Maduro in January—with no public legislative vote taken to extend her tenure; the Maduro-aligned National Assembly could either extend her term by another ninety days or declare the presidency permanently vacant and trigger a snap election (AP)
Sanctions Relief in Venezuela
The United States lifted sanctions on Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez that were imposed in 2018 when the United States accused her of undermining democracy in the country (Treasury)
Trump praised Venezuela’s interim government in his speech, calling its leaders “joint-venture partners” of the United States (NYT)
U.S. Reopens Caracas Embassy After Seven-Year Closure
The U.S. State Department announced it is resuming operations at its Caracas embassy, calling it a key milestone in implementing Trump’s Venezuela policy following the U.S. military’s capture of President Nicolás Maduro in January; Ambassador Laura Dogu is leading efforts to restore the embassy building, return personnel, and resume consular services as Washington pursues its stated goal of restoring democracy and free elections in the country (Politico)
U.S. Eases Oil Sanctions Amid Iran War
The U.S. Department of the Treasury eased some sanctions on Venezuela, allowing for U.S. companies to conduct business with Venezuela’s state-owned oil firm, while the White House also announced a sixty day waiver of the Jones Act, temporarily allowing non-U.S.-flagged vessels to transport goods between domestic ports; the move reflects attempts to ease rising oil prices in the U.S. amid the ongoing war with Iran (AP)
Separately, acting President Delcy Rodríguez removed Gen. Vladimir Padrino López, the country’s defense minister since 2014, from his post; he was a longtime loyalist of former President Nicolás Maduro (Reuters)
Rodriguez named Gen. Gustavo González López as his replacement; González López has a background in military intelligence and was previously sanctioned by the United States for suppressing demonstrations (AP)
U.S. Seeks Extradition of Maduro Ally
The Trump administration is negotiating with the Venezuelan government to extradite Alex Saab, a close ally of deposed former President Nicolas Maduro, who has been indicted in a Miami court on charges of corruption (NYT)
Saab was arrested in by the interim Venezuelan government in February after having once been jailed in the United States for money laundering and ultimately pardoned in 2023 by former U.S. President Joe Biden as part of a prisoner exchange with the Maduro regime (Miami Herald)
More Venezuelan Oil Headed to U.S.
According to U.S. President Donald Trump, 100 million new barrels of Venezuelan crude oil are being shipped to the United States after an initial 100 million arrived to Texas in recent days (Anadolu)
U.S., Venezuela Establish Diplomatic Ties
The United States and Venezuela’s interim government are re-establishing diplomatic and consular relations for the first time since 2019, according to the U.S. State Department; the restoration comes two months after the U.S. ouster of former President Nicolás Maduro (CBS)
U.S. Threatens to Indict Interim President Delcy Rodriguez
In an attempt to strengthen its leverage with Caracas, the Trump administration is reportedly building a legal case against Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez; the draft criminal indictment created by federal prosecutors, who have communicated to Rodríguez that she is at risk of facing prosecution unless she continues to comply with President Trump’s demands, includes possible corruption and money laundering charges (Reuters)
Venezuela’s Machado plans return
Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado announced she plans to return to the country in a few weeks; she spent almost a year in hiding in Venezuela before traveling to Oslo in December to accept the Nobel Peace Prize (Politico)
She has since met with Trump at the White House and is currently in the United States (Reuters)
U.S. Military Kills Eleven People in Strikes
The strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea were the deadliest day of such strikes this year, and brought the total number of people killed in U.S. boat strikes since September to at least 144 (CNN)
The strikes also marked the first time U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) bombed alleged drug boats on both sides of the Panama Canal on the same day; two strikes were in the Eastern Pacific and one in the Caribbean (NYT)
The Trump administration says the strikes are part of its campaign against illegal drug trafficking and claimed it had intelligence confirming the victims were part of drug networks, but did not make that evidence or the men’s identities public (SOUTHCOM)