)
Venezuela is in the grip of a deepening crisis after a large-scale US military operation led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, triggering global alarm over sovereignty and international law. US President Donald Trump later said Washington would oversee Venezuela’s administration during a transition period and suggested the country’s vast oil fields would be operated under US control. For now, Maduro's deputy Delcy Rodríguez has taken over the administration, vowing to cooperate with the Trump administration.
The US in October sanctioned Russia's two largest oil producers - Rosneft and Lukoil - giving companies until November 21 to wind down dealings with them
The notices come after nearly four months of US military strikes against boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific that the US alleged were trafficking drugs
Updated On : 17 Jan 2026 | 9:56 AM ISTThe flight's arrival comes 13 days after Maduro was captured along with his wife, Cilia Flores, during a military intervention in Caracas
Updated On : 17 Jan 2026 | 7:40 AM ISTUS Southern Command said Marines and sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to take part in the operation alongside a Coast Guard tactical team
Updated On : 16 Jan 2026 | 1:43 PM ISTVenezuela's acting President Delcy Rodrguez used her first state of the union message on Thursday to advocate for opening the crucial state-run oil industry to more foreign investment following the Trump administration's pledge to seize control of Venezuelan crude sales. For the first time, Rodrguez laid out a vision for Venezuela's new political reality one that challenges her government's most deeply rooted beliefs less than two weeks after the United States captured and toppled former President Nicols Maduro. Under pressure from the US to cooperate with its plans for reshaping Venezuela's sanctioned oil industry, she declared that a new policy is being formed in Venezuela and urged the nation's diplomats to tell foreign investors about it. The Trump administration has said it plans to control future oil revenue to ensure it benefits the Venezuelan people. Rodrguez on Thursday painted a picture of money from the oil sales flowing into the national budget to bolster crisis-stricke
The Special Forces raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas earlier this month should make Havana take US threats seriously, Jeremy Lewin, a State Department official said
US President Donald Trump will keep the Nobel Peace Prize offered by Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, while the Nobel Committee says the laureate title cannot be transferred
The seizure marks the sixth vessel targeted in recent weeks that was either carrying Venezuelan oil or had done so in the past
President Donald Trump is set to meet Thursday at the White House with Venezuelan opposition leader Mara Corina Machado, whose political party is widely considered to have won 2024 elections rejected by then-President Nicols Maduro before the United States captured him in an audacious military raid this month. Less than two weeks after U.S. forces seized Maduro and his wife at a heavily guarded compound in Caracas and brought them to New York to stand trial on drug trafficking charges, Trump will host the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Machado, having already dismissed her credibility to run Venezuela and raised doubts about his stated commitment to backing democratic rule in the country. She's a very nice woman, Trump told Reuters in an interview about Machado. I've seen her on television. I think we're just going to talk basics. The meeting comes as Trump and his top advisers have signaled their willingness to work with acting President Delcy Rodrguez, who was Maduro's vice president
US officials brokered the sale of hundreds of millions dollars worth of Venezuelan oil to stabilize the country's economy after capturing its president
While state-owned China National Petroleum Corp. holds stakes in three joint ventures producing heavy crude in the Orinoco Belt and one in Zulia state, production is limited and uneven
On January 3, the US launched a large-scale operation in Venezuela's capital Caracas and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores
Venezuelan authorities released at least seven people, including Virgilio Laverde, youth coordinator for Machado's Vente Venezuela party in the southern state of Bolívar
The committee also made it clear that it does not comment on the actions or statements of laureates after the prize is awarded
Mexico has become a key supplier of oil to Cuba after Venezuela's exports fell, drawing criticism from US lawmakers and adding strain to ties with President Trump
Petro, addressing supporters in Bogota just after the call, signaled that he had planned to make a "tough" speech attacking Trump, but would now moderate his language
One of the first major tests of the Trump-Rodríguez alliance will focus on the oil riches of Venezuela, home to the one of the world's largest proven reserves of the key global commodity
The United States and Venezuelan governments said Friday they were exploring the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations between the two countries, and that an delgation from the Trump administration arrived to the South American nation on Friday. The small team of US diplomats and diplomatic security officials traveled to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential re-opening of the US Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement. Venezuela's government acknowledged the delegation's presence in Venezuela and announced that it will send a delegation to the US but it did not say when. Venezuela's government on Friday acknowledged that US diplomats had travelled to the South American country and announced that it will send a delegation to the US but it did not say when. In a statement, Delcy Rodrguez's government said it has decided to initiate an exploratory process of a diplomatic nature with the Government of the United States of America, .
CEO Woods said Exxon was ready "to put a team on the ground" if there is an invitation from the Venezuelan government and appropriate security guarantees
China built a dominant strategic position in the region as the leading lender and trading partner; it is watching President Trump's next moves closely