标签： South America

In a significant development within Venezuela’s ongoing political crisis, Diógenes Angulo was among the first detainees released under a new government initiative promising substantial prisoner liberations. The 19-year-old, originally detained at 17 for recording an opposition demonstration, emerged from incarceration after 17 months as his family awaited with emotional anticipation outside the prison facilities.

The releases coincide with extraordinary circumstances following the January 3rd capture of former President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces during a nighttime raid in Caracas. The Venezuelan government characterized the prisoner releases as a gesture toward “seeking peace,” though officials have provided neither specific numbers nor identities of those slated for freedom.

U.S. President Donald Trump promptly claimed credit for the developments, asserting on his Truth Social platform that Venezuela had initiated the process “in a BIG WAY” at Washington’s request. Trump’s statements included both appreciation and veiled threats, warning released prisoners to remember “how lucky they got that the USA came along.”

According to Foro Penal, a Venezuelan prisoner advocacy organization, only 16 political prisoners had been freed by Saturday night, with 804 remaining incarcerated. Among those released was Rocío San Miguel, a human rights attorney who immediately relocated to Spain under conditions prohibiting media contact—a arrangement her brother described as “not full freedom, but rather a precautionary measure.”

Prominent opposition figures remain detained, including former lawmaker Freddy Superlano, opposition lawyer Perkins Rocha, former governor Juan Pablo Guanipa, and Rafael Tudares, son-in-law of presidential candidate Edmundo González.

Meanwhile, government supporters mobilized across Venezuelan cities, demanding Maduro’s return following his extradition to face narco-terrorism charges in the United States. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez condemned what she termed Maduro’s “kidnapping” and pledged continued resistance against “criminal aggression.”

In a parallel diplomatic development, both nations announced evaluations to restore relations severed since 2019, including potential reopening of diplomatic missions. This occurred alongside Vatican engagement, with Foreign Minister Yván Gil responding to papal calls for peace while reaffirming Venezuela’s sovereignty.

The Norwegian Nobel Institute has issued a definitive statement clarifying that Nobel Peace Prizes cannot be reassigned, transferred, or shared with other recipients. This announcement directly addresses recent remarks by Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who expressed desire to gift her recently awarded prize to former U.S. President Donald Trump.

In an official communication released Friday, the Institute emphasized that once the Peace Prize has been officially conferred, “the decision is final and stands for all time.” This policy clarification comes amid growing international attention on the Venezuelan political landscape.

Machado, during a Monday appearance on Fox News with host Sean Hannity, articulated her intention to potentially share the honor with Trump, citing his administration’s role in overseeing the capture of authoritarian Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro currently faces drug trafficking charges in New York federal courts.

“What he has done is historic. It’s a huge step towards a democratic transition,” Machado stated during the interview, characterizing the prize as fundamentally belonging to the Venezuelan people.

Despite these declarations, the Nobel Institute’s regulations render such transfers impossible. The development highlights the complex geopolitical dynamics surrounding Venezuela’s political future, with Trump subsequently expressing openness to receiving such an honor while simultaneously endorsing acting President Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president, as the appropriate transitional leader.

Trump characterized Machado as a “very nice woman” but questioned her current capacity to govern effectively within Venezuela, suggesting she lacks sufficient domestic support. The former president acknowledged Machado’s planned visit next week and described the potential Peace Prize offering as a “great honor.”

President Donald Trump’s ambitious plan to mobilize $100 billion in oil investments for Venezuela following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro has encountered significant industry resistance during a White House meeting with major energy executives. Despite Trump’s portrayal of Venezuela as an unparalleled energy opportunity, industry leaders expressed deep reservations about the country’s current investability.

Executives from Exxon, Chevron, and other major firms acknowledged Venezuela’s substantial oil reserves but highlighted the substantial risks involved. Exxon CEO Darren Woods emphasized the company’s historical difficulties, noting they had assets seized twice previously and would require “pretty significant changes” before considering re-entry. The consensus among industry leaders was that Venezuela remains “uninvestable” in its current state.

Trump’s administration is implementing a comprehensive strategy to control Venezuela’s oil revenue, including selective sanctions relief and establishing US-controlled accounts for oil proceeds. The President signed an executive order prohibiting US courts from seizing Venezuelan oil revenue held in American Treasury accounts, framing it as essential for maintaining foreign policy leverage and ensuring stability.

While Chevron, the last major US operator in Venezuela, plans to increase production from its existing operations, and companies like Repsol envision tripling output under favorable conditions, analysts caution that meaningful investment requires political stability, legal certainty, and physical security that currently don’t exist. Energy experts estimate that substantial production increases would require sustained annual investments of $8-9 billion, far from the immediate large-scale commitments Trump seeks.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Trump administration has enacted a new executive order designed to protect Venezuelan oil revenues from being seized through judicial proceedings, framing the measure as essential to U.S. efforts to stabilize the South American nation’s economy and political landscape.

The order, released publicly on Saturday, establishes that oil funds controlled by the United States constitute Venezuelan government property held for “governmental and diplomatic purposes” and declares them exempt from private legal claims. President Trump justified the action by stating that potential seizure of these assets would “undermine critical U.S. efforts to ensure economic and political stability in Venezuela.”

This legal protection mechanism arrives amid growing concerns from major petroleum corporations about Venezuela’s investment climate. During a White House meeting convened Friday with industry executives, ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods characterized Venezuela as “uninvestable” under current commercial frameworks, citing the country’s prolonged political turbulence, history of state asset seizures, and ongoing U.S. sanctions.

President Trump attempted to reassure energy company leaders during the discussions, promising they would negotiate directly with U.S. authorities rather than with Venezuelan government entities. The administration has identified attracting American oil investment to rebuild Venezuela’s crippled energy infrastructure as a primary objective following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro.

The White House has adopted an economically-focused approach to Venezuelan reconstruction, with measures including the seizure of tankers transporting Venezuelan crude, assumption of control over sales of 30-50 million barrels of previously sanctioned oil, and plans to manage global sales indefinitely. Trump reinforced his commitment via social media on Saturday, stating: “I love the Venezuelan people, and am already making Venezuela rich and safe again.”

The executive order derives its legal authority from the National Emergencies Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, classifying potential litigation targeting oil revenues as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to national security interests.

WASHINGTON — The Republican Party is demonstrating notable fractures and growing independence from former President Donald Trump as the midterm election year begins, marking a significant shift from the previous year’s pattern of near-total acquiescence to his demands.

The political divergence manifests across multiple fronts, from foreign policy to domestic legislation. Republican lawmakers are pushing back against Trump’s self-described “Donroe doctrine” of aggression in the Western Hemisphere, expressing concerns about his military operation targeting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his controversial threats to use military force to acquire Greenland from Denmark.

This newfound independence extends to critical domestic issues as well. In a striking break from party unity, 17 House Republicans joined Democrats to pass legislation extending expired health care subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans, despite Trump’s explicit urging for Republicans to “own” the health care issue during a recent speech at Washington’s Kennedy Center.

The foreign policy rift became particularly evident when five Republican senators supported a procedural vote on war powers legislation that would restrict Trump’s ability to attack Venezuela without congressional approval. While such measures rarely succeed, the Republican support indicates growing concern about potential foreign entanglements.

Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.), who voted for the resolution, argued that “a drawn-out campaign in Venezuela involving the American military, even if unintended, would be the opposite of President Trump’s goal of ending foreign entanglements.”

Trump reacted with fury to the dissent, calling for the five Republicans—including Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who faces reelection this year—to “never be elected to office again.”

The administration’s Greenland ambitions also met significant Republican resistance. Retiring Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) took to the Senate floor to proclaim he was “sick of stupid” and specifically criticized White House deputy chief of policy Stephen Miller for suggesting Greenland should be part of the U.S.

Even as these fractures emerge, Trump maintains considerable command over most of the party, as demonstrated by unsuccessful House veto override votes where most GOP members stood with the president. However, the accumulating policy disagreements and retirements of several lawmakers who had uneasy relationships with Trump are creating complications for Republican campaign strategies.

The political dynamics are further complicated by recent shootings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in several U.S. cities, which have raised new questions about Republicans’ hard-line immigration agenda and shifted attention from what they previously viewed as successful border management.

Democrats are capitalizing on the apparent divisions, with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer arguing that Trump is “lurching towards another endless, expensive war, all the while American families here are struggling with skyrocketing costs.”

United States military forces have executed another strategic seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea, marking the fifth such interception in recent weeks as part of the Trump administration’s escalating campaign against Venezuelan oil exports. The targeted vessel, identified as the Olina, was apprehended in a pre-dawn operation conducted jointly by Marines and naval personnel in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.

According to US Southern Command officials, the Olina had departed Venezuelan waters while attempting to evade US naval forces. The vessel had been sailing under a false flag registered to Timor-Leste and had its location tracker disabled for 52 days prior to interception, as reported by maritime risk firm Vanguard Tech. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem characterized the vessel as another ‘ghost fleet’ tanker suspected of transporting embargoed oil.

The operation continues the US government’s multi-front effort to dismantle what officials describe as a ‘dark fleet’ of over 1,000 vessels transporting sanctioned and illicit oil globally. The Olina itself had been previously sanctioned in January under the name Minerva M for allegedly helping finance Russia’s war in Ukraine through oil transportation.

This latest seizure follows two additional tanker interceptions earlier this week in the North Atlantic and Caribbean, including the Russian-flagged Marinera captured with support from the UK Royal Navy. US authorities have declared these vessels stateless due to fraudulent flag representation, invoking United Nations maritime provisions that permit boarding of such ships.

Concurrently, US diplomats have initiated exploratory talks in Caracas regarding potential re-establishment of diplomatic relations, which were severed by Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in 2019. The Trump administration has announced plans to redirect proceeds from seized oil shipments—estimated at 50 million barrels worth $2.8 billion—to benefit the Venezuelan people through market-rate sales controlled by US authorities.

In a significant geopolitical shift, the United States and Venezuela have commenced exploratory talks aimed at normalizing diplomatic relations after years of heightened tensions. The development follows a high-stakes intervention by U.S. military forces that resulted in the capture and extradition of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to face drug trafficking charges in New York.

A specialized delegation of American diplomats and security personnel arrived in Caracas to assess the potential reopening of the U.S. Embassy, which was shuttered in 2019 during the Trump administration’s previous term. The State Department confirmed the preliminary mission, characterizing it as an initial step toward reestablishing formal diplomatic channels.

Venezuela’s acting government under President Delcy Rodríguez simultaneously announced plans to dispatch its own delegation to the United States, though specific timelines remain undisclosed. Such travel would necessitate special sanctions waivers from the U.S. Treasury Department, highlighting the complex regulatory hurdles facing normalization efforts.

Rodríguez finds herself navigating competing pressures—addressing Washington’s demands while maintaining support from military hardliners furious over Maduro’s capture. Her public statements revealed this delicate balancing act, simultaneously condemning U.S. actions as “grave, criminal, illegal, and illegitimate aggression” while advocating diplomacy as the optimal path to secure Maduro’s eventual return and protect Venezuelan sovereignty.

The diplomatic overture represents a dramatic reversal from 2019, when the Trump administration recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate president and closed its Caracas embassy, relocating diplomatic operations to Bogotá, Colombia. The current engagement continues a pattern of cautious re-engagement that began last February when Trump envoy Richard Grenell met with Maduro, resulting in the release of six detained Americans.

Underlying the diplomatic maneuvering remains the strategic importance of Venezuela’s oil reserves, the world’s largest, which have long been an objective of U.S. energy policy. The normalization process signals potential opportunities for American energy companies while testing Rodríguez’s ability to reconcile diplomatic pragmatism with ideological commitments to the Maduro legacy.