Venezuela

U.S. prosecutors are set to accuse Venezuela's former President, Nicolas Maduro, of selling diplomatic passports to Mexican cartels, which they would later use in cocaine smuggling operations, according to a new report.

Venezuela has become the U.S.'s fifth largest provider of oil after Washington took over the country's industry following the capture of authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro in early January.

Drivers across Cuba are facing waits of weeks or months to refuel as fuel shortages deepen and new government controls limit access to gasoline.

The U.S. naval deployment centered on Venezuela since August has cost more than $20 million per day and as much as nearly $3 billion overall, according to an analysis.

Venezuelan authorities have detained Evanan Romero, an 86-year-old oil consultant who is a U.S. citizen, a move that comes as Washington seeks to encourage foreign energy investment in Venezuela.

Venezuela's government has appointed former military officer and ex–electricity minister Luis Alfredo Motta Domínguez to a senior oversight post, despite an active U.S. indictment and a standing reward offer for his arrest tied to money-laundering charges.

President Donald Trump said the United States is not planning a military operation in Cuba similar to the one that led to Nicolás Maduro's capture in Venezuela.

Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat of the Cuban Democratic Directorate told Euroenews that "a transition in which the same people remain in power is not acceptable"

U.S. authorities announced on Jan. 14 that the first sale of Venezuelan crude had generated $500 million, but contrary to Trump's comments, the revenue has remained under U.S. control.

He added that his father expressed support for a proposed amnesty law now advancing in Venezuela's National Assembly, saying: "amnesty not only for them, for us as well"

Grenell initially pursued a track with Venezuela that emphasized negotiations, prisoner releases and oil-sector arrangements over regime change

Seven in 10 Venezuelans say the country is moving in a positive direction after the U.S. operation that captured Nicolás Maduro, and a majority want new presidential elections held in 2026, according to a new poll.

Elliott Abrams, who served as the Trump administration's special representative for Venezuela during the president's first term, said that there is no legal basis for the United States to take Venezuelan oil and sell it.

Minister Sánchez said Colombia is "coordinating" diplomatically with Caracas and called the political turmoil after Maduro's capture "a unique opportunity" to restore security cooperation

President Donald Trump rejected reporting claiming that Harry Sargeant III is playing a key role in U.S.-Venezuela relations after the capture of authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro in January.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the U.S. has "enormous leverage over the interim authorities in Venezuela" as a result of Washington's control of Caracas' oil industry.

Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez said former authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are innocent and their imprisonment in the U.S. is unjustified.

The head of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Cuba said Washington is in talks with senior figures inside the Cuban government and suggested a Trump-friendly successor comparable to Venezuela's interim president has been identified.

Venezuelan authorities have denied that the country exported crude oil to Israel and rejected a Bloomberg report published on Tuesday describing such a shipment, saying the claim is fabricated.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott said the United States is "watching" after Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Pablo Guanipa was rearrested shortly after being released.

Wright described the situation instead as a geopolitical matter, calling Venezuela under Maduro "a threat to all of its neighbors" and "a threat to the Western hemisphere"

GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar threatened Venezuela's interim regime for recapturing a political leader just hours after releasing him.

Human Rights Watch said the Trump administration's military operation in Venezuela in early 2026 could reinforce the country's repressive political system.

Four people have been charged in a fraud scheme that allegedly used more than 100 stolen identities across multiple states to obtain over $1 million in public benefits, with proceeds later sent to recipients in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.

White House officials are growing frustrated at Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado for discussing a tentative date for elections in the country, saying it could undermine their work in Venezuela, according to a new report.

The former Mexican president has for years denied receiving money either from drug cartels or from Venezuela to fund his 2006 campaign.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the United States is "openly seeking to expel our companies" from Venezuela following the capture of authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro in early January.

Machado also argued Venezuela differs from other recent U.S.-backed nation-building efforts because of a "legitimate leadership with huge popular support"

Allies of former authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro are stunned at interim leader Delcy Rodriguez's grip on power following his capture by U.S. forces and the Trump administration's posterior tutelage of the country, according to a new report.

Alex Saab, an alleged financial front man for Nicolás Maduro, was reportedly captured in Caracas as part of a joint operation involving Venezuelan authorities and U.S. officials.