MAIQUET&Iacute;A: Venezuela and the United States are restoring diplomatic ties, the two countries announced Thursday, in a new sign of thawing relations after Washington ousted former president Nicolas Maduro. The announcement came as US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum wrapped up a two-day trip to Venezuela, part of US President Donald Trump&#39;s push for greater access to the country&#39;s mineral wealth. The re-establishment of diplomatic and consular relations &quot;will facilitate our joint efforts to promote stability, support economic recovery, and advance political reconciliation in Venezuela,&quot; the US State Department said. &quot;Our engagement is focused on helping the Venezuelan people move forward through a phased process that creates the conditions for a peaceful transition to a democratically elected government.&quot; Venezuela&#39;s foreign ministry said it would &quot;move forward in a new stage of constructive dialogue, based on mutual respect, the sovereign equality of states and cooperation between our people,&quot; adding that the renewed ties would be &quot;positive and mutually beneficial.&quot; The announcement came hours after Burgum, a member of Trump&#39;s cabinet who leads the National Energy Dominance Council, said he had received assurances from Caracas that the government would ensure the security of foreign mining companies keen to invest there. &#39;Right kind of security&#39; Burgum, who held talks with interim president Delcy Rodriguez during his trip, said dozens of companies had expressed interest in investing in Venezuela. &quot;I think you&#39;re going to see this government very concerned about providing the right kind of security,&quot; Burgum said. He told reporters his meetings were &quot;fantastically positive,&quot; and predicted Venezuela would surpass its oil and gas production targets in 2026. Trump&#39;s administration says it effectively runs Venezuela and controls the country&#39;s vast natural resources after toppling Maduro. Burgum is the second senior US official to visit since the bombing raid on January 3 that left around 100 people dead and saw Maduro and his wife flown to New York for trial on drug trafficking charges. Besides oil, Venezuela is rich in minerals such as gold and diamonds, as well as bauxite, coltan and other rare materials used to make computers and mobile phones. Mining activity is concentrated in a territory known as the Orinoco Mining Arc, where armed groups are active. Burgum&#39;s visit follows that of US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who pushed for a &quot;dramatic increase&quot; in Venezuela&#39;s oil output and talked up &quot;tremendous opportunities&quot; for both Washington and Caracas. The enthusiastic assessments of both men, which echo Trump&#39;s stance, reflect the sea change in relations between Washington and Caracas since the capture of Maduro. Trump has allowed Rodriguez, who was Maduro&#39;s vice president, to move up to interim leader so long as she grants US access to Venezuela&#39;s natural resources. Venezuela has the world&#39;s largest proven oil reserves, and Rodriguez last month overhauled the state-controlled oil sector to enable a wave of private investment. She now has her sights set on updating the mining code.

Americas

Announcement comes as US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum wraps up a two-day trip to Venezuela, part of US President Donald Trump's push for greater access to the country's mineral wealth.

US, Venezuela restore ties as Washington pushes for minerals access

CARACAS: US Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Wednesday vowed to power a &quot;dramatic increase&quot; in Venezuelan oil output as part of a plan to &quot;make the Americas great again&quot; after talks with acting president Delcy Rodriguez in Caracas. Wright is the highest-ranking US official to travel to Venezuela since US special forces captured and overthrew longtime socialist leader Nicolas Maduro on January 3. In a meeting with Rodriguez and oil industry executives, he assured that President Donald Trump was &quot;passionately committed&quot; to transforming relations between the two former foes. Rodriguez said she supported a &quot;long-term productive partnership&quot; that was &quot;beneficial to both countries.&quot; Trump approved former vice-president Rodriguez to replace her deposed boss, Maduro, on the condition that she comply with his demands on access to oil and on easing state repression. Venezuela, once a major crude supplier to the United States, has the world&#39;s largest proven reserves with more than 303 billion barrels, according to global oil cartel OPEC. This amounts to about a fifth of the world&#39;s oil reserves. In 2024, the South American country produced only about 1% of the world&#39;s total crude; however, its industry was left haggard by years of underinvestment, mismanagement, and US sanctions. &#39;Historical differences&#39; Trump wants US oil majors to rapidly rebuild the sector and boost output by millions of barrels per day, saying the United States and Caracas will share the profits. The United States carried out its first sale of Venezuelan oil last month that made the Caribbean country $500 million. Wright called for a &quot;dramatic increase&quot; in Venezuela&#39;s production of oil, natural gas, and electricity, which would improve &quot;the job opportunities, the wages and the quality of life&quot; of all Venezuelans. He said he and Rodriguez &quot;spoke very candidly about the tremendous opportunities in front of us&quot; as well as the challenges. The president of Venezuela&#39;s state oil firm PDVSA, Venezuela&#39;s diplomatic representative to the United States, and the US Charge d&#39;Affaires in Caracas joined the talks. Rodriguez said she welcomed the opportunity for their two countries &quot;to address their historical differences in a mature manner.&quot; Dramatic thaw Wright&#39;s visit to Caracas comes amidst a dramatic thaw in US-Venezuelan relations, which Caracas broke off in 2019 after Washington refused to recognize Maduro as the winner of tainted elections. In a series of head-spinning reforms since Maduro&#39;s fall, Rodriguez last month opened up the nationalized oil sector to private investment. On Thursday, parliament is expected to adopt a landmark bill granting amnesty to political prisoners. Washington, for its part, has eased sanctions on Venezuela&#39;s oil industry, allowing US companies to work with state oil firm PDVSA and the government. The challenge now is to persuade oil companies to invest in Venezuela despite persisting political instability, security concerns, and the need for heavy investment to restore production capacity. The country produced 1.2 million oil barrels per day in 2025 &mdash; up from a historic low of about 360,000 in 2020 &mdash; but still far from the 3.0 million bpd it was pumping 25 years ago. Rodriguez&#39;s government aims to increase output by a further 18% this year.

Country produced 1.2 million oil barrels per day in 2025, up from a historic low of about 360,000 in 2020, but still far from the 3 million bpd it was pumping 25 years ago; Rodriguez's government aims to increase output by a further 18% this year.

US pushes for 'dramatic increase' in Venezuela oil output

CARACAS: Venezuela&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/venezuela-interim-leader-sacks-industry-minister-a-maduro-ally" style="color:#0073e6;">interim</a>&nbsp;president will soon visit the United States, a senior US official said Wednesday, further signaling President Donald Trump&#39;s willingness to embrace the oil-rich country&#39;s new leader. Delcy Rodriguez would be the first sitting Venezuelan president to visit the United States in more than a quarter century &mdash; aside from presidents attending United Nations meetings in New York. She said on Wednesday that she approached any dialogue with the United States &quot;without fear.&quot; &quot;We are in a process of dialogue, of working with the United States, without any fear, to confront our differences and difficulties ... and to address them through diplomacy,&quot; said Rodriguez. The invitation reflects a head-snapping shift in relations between Washington and Caracas since US Delta Force operatives swooped into Caracas,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/how-cuba-was-blindsided-by-the-operation-to-capture-maduro" style="color:#0073e6;">seized</a>&nbsp;President Nicolas Maduro, and spirited him to a US jail to face narcotrafficking charges. Rodriguez was a former vice president and long-time insider in Venezuela&#39;s authoritarian and anti-American government, before changing tack as interim president. She is still the subject of US sanctions, including an asset freeze. But with a flotilla of US warships still amassed off the Venezuelan coast, she has allowed the United States to broker the sale of Venezuelan oil, facilitated foreign investment, and released dozens of political prisoners. A senior White House official said Rodriguez would visit soon, but no date has been set. All for oil&nbsp;The last bilateral visit by a sitting Venezuelan president came in the 1990s &mdash; before populist leader Hugo Chavez took power. Since then, successive Venezuelan governments have made a point of thumbing their nose at Washington and building close ties with US foes in China, Cuba, Iran, and Russia. The US trip, which has yet to be confirmed by Venezuelan authorities, could pose problems for Rodriguez inside the government, where some hardliners still detest what they see as Washington&#39;s hemispheric imperialism. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez remain powerful forces in the country, and analysts say their support for Rodriguez is not a given. Trump has so far appeared happy to allow Rodriguez and much of the repressive government to remain in power, so long as the United States has access to Venezuelan oil, the largest proven reserves in the world. Trump hosted Venezuela&#39;s exiled opposition leader and Nobel peace laureate Maria Corina Machado at the White House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/venezuelas-machado-presents-trump-with-nobel-prize" style="color:#0073e6;">earlier</a>&nbsp;this month. After initially dismissing Machado and her ability to control the country&#39;s powerful armed forces and intelligence services, he said Tuesday that he would &quot;love&quot; to have her &quot;involved in some way.&quot; Machado&#39;s party is widely considered to have won the 2024 elections that Washington said were stolen by Maduro. Analysts say Trump&#39;s embrace of Rodriguez and avoidance of wholesale regime change can be explained by an unwillingness to repeat mistakes made in the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. &quot;Those kinds of intervention operations &mdash; and the deployment of troops for stabilization &mdash; have always ended very badly,&quot; said Benigno Alarcon, a politics expert at the Andres Bello Catholic University in Caracas. Trump&#39;s stance has, however, angered democracy activists who argue that all political prisoners must be freed and granted amnesty, and Venezuela must hold fresh elections.

The invitation reflects a head-snapping shift in relations between Washington and Caracas since US Delta Force operatives swooped into Caracas, seizing President Nicolas Maduro and spiriting him to a US jail to face narcotrafficking charges.

Interim Venezuela leader to visit US

WASHINGTON:&nbsp;US President Donald Trump marked the first anniversary of his return to the White House on Tuesday with a rambling, often downbeat news conference that leaned heavily on familiar grievances rather than celebration. The 79-year-old brandished a folder in front of reporters, saying it contained a list of 365 achievements since he was sworn in on Jan. 20 last year. &quot;God is very proud of the work I have done,&quot; he declared. However, in a monologue that lasted more than an hour before he took questions from reporters, Trump complained that he wasn&#39;t getting credit. He insulted and swore at opponents, and continued to spread conspiracy theories &mdash; including his claim that he won the 2020 election that he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. Amid dire ratings &mdash; averaging at about 55% disapproval, 42% approval &mdash; and deep discontent over high prices, Trump said he deserved more appreciation. &quot;Maybe I have bad public relations people, but we&rsquo;re not getting it,&quot; he said, also blaming &quot;fake news.&quot; Trump was headed to Davos hours later to join world political and business leaders. He signaled that his speech there on Wednesday will defend his aggressive moves on Greenland, which is part of the US ally Denmark. &quot;We need it for national security,&quot; he said. &quot;Things are going to work out pretty well.&quot; But when asked how far he was willing to go to act on his threats to take over the vast island, he retorted: &quot;You&#39;ll find out.&quot; He rejected an idea floated by French President Emmanuel Macron for an emergency G7 meeting. &quot;No,&quot; he said about attending. &quot;I wouldn&#39;t do that.&quot; Hardly a victory lap&nbsp;Delivered in a subdued tone, the address opened with Trump praising his crackdown by military-style agents on illegal immigration. Trump showed off mugshots of criminals he said had been apprehended in Minnesota, where a protester was shot dead this month by one of the agents. He touted the US military raid to seize Venezuela&#39;s socialist president, Nicolas Maduro, and was unapologetic about his insistence that Washington would somehow take control of Greenland. But as Trump lurched from subject to subject, the address felt less like a victory lap than a reprise of last year&#39;s campaign to defeat then vice president Kamala Harris and win his second term. The president repeated a series of claims long disputed or debunked, including that his 2020 election loss was &quot;rigged,&quot; that prescription drug prices had fallen by 600%, and that the United States had attracted $18 trillion in inward investment. On foreign affairs, the Republican signaled an interest in working with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on the country&#39;s future, following Washington&rsquo;s Jan. 3 military operation that removed Nicol&aacute;s Maduro from power. &quot;We&#39;re talking to her,&quot; Trump said. &quot;Maybe we can get her involved in some way. I&#39;d love to be able to do that.&quot; He praised Machado for giving him her Nobel Peace Prize medal, complaining again that the Norwegian committee should have honored him instead. He also gave support to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who launched an offensive against Washington&#39;s erstwhile Kurdish allies. Trump said the Syrian leader was &quot;working very, very hard&quot; and a &quot;choir boy&quot; could not handle the situation in that country.

US president signals interest in working with Venezuelan opposition leader Machado on country's future; White House aides circulate 31-page document listing 365 claimed "wins" across immigration, the economy and foreign policy, as reporters packed the briefing room.

Muted anniversary: Trump marks first year back with grievances

WASHINGTON: Venezuelan <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/out-of-hiding-venezuelas-machado-vows-to-return-to-end-tyranny" style="color:#0073e6;">opposition leader</a> Maria Corina Machado said on Friday her country is starting a &quot;true transition&quot; to democracy and will become free with support from the United States and President Donald Trump. Trump, however, has sidelined Nobel laureate Machado and backed former vice president Delcy Rodriguez as interim leader of the oil-rich country following the January 3 US military operation that seized president Nicolas Maduro. &quot;We are definitely now into the first steps of a true transition to democracy,&quot; Machado said during an event in Washington, adding that this will have an &quot;immense impact in the lives of all Venezuelans&quot; as well as around the region and the world. &quot;Venezuela is going to be free, and that&#39;s going to be achieved with the support of the people of the United States and the president, Donald Trump,&quot; Machado said. Her party has presented evidence that Maduro stole the 2024 election &mdash; claims supported by Washington and much of the international community. But Trump has said that Machado does not have enough support among Venezuelans, and opted to stick with Rodriguez, so long as she toes the line on US access to Venezuela&#39;s vast oil reserves. Machado said Friday that Rodriguez is &quot;following orders&quot; rather than acting of her own will. The opposition leader&#39;s remarks came a day after US Central Intelligence Agency chief John Ratcliffe met Rodriguez in Caracas. Ratcliffe traveled to Venezuela to &quot;deliver the message that the United States looks forward to an improved working relationship,&quot; a US administration official said on condition of anonymity. Nobel medal&nbsp;In an indication of that improved relationship, a US deportation flight carrying 231 Venezuelans landed in Caracas on Friday, the first since Maduro&#39;s overthrow. Trump has made cracking down on undocumented immigrants a major part of his second term, carrying out sweeping immigration raids and deporting migrants. <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/who-is-mara-corina-the-2025-nobel-peace-prize-winner" style="color:#0073e6;">Machado</a>, 58, on Thursday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/venezuelas-machado-presents-trump-with-nobel-prize" style="color:#0073e6;">presented </a>her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump in a bid to win over the US president. &quot;He deserves it,&quot; she said. &quot;And it was a very emotional moment, I decided to present the Nobel Peace Prize medal on behalf of the people of Venezuela.&quot; It was not immediately clear if Trump &mdash; who said Friday that he and Machado will &quot;be talking again&quot; &mdash; kept the award following their White House lunch. The Norwegian Nobel Committee says its prizes cannot be transferred. Trump had campaigned hard to win last year&#39;s Nobel Peace Prize, claiming that he stopped eight wars since taking office, but it <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/venezuelas-maria-corina-machado-wins-2025-nobel-peace-prize" style="color:#0073e6;">went </a>to Machado instead. Trump and Rodriguez had their first telephone call on Wednesday, and the White House said he &quot;likes what he&#39;s seeing&quot; from her. Rodriguez said, however, that her government will stand up to Washington. &quot;We know they are very powerful...we are not afraid to confront them diplomatically, through political dialogue,&quot; she said Thursday. Rodriguez was delivering Maduro&#39;s state of the nation address to parliament while the long-time authoritarian leader is in a New York jail facing drug trafficking charges. By contrast, Machado, who campaigned for years to end leftist Maduro&#39;s rule, was greeted by jubilant supporters in Washington.

Venezuelan opposition leader says Venezuela is “going to be free,” will be achieved with the “support of the people of the United States and the president, Donald Trump.”

Machado says Venezuela beginning 'transition' to democracy

CARACAS: US President Donald Trump said Sunday his administration was working well with Venezuela&#39;s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez &mdash; and that he would be open to meeting with her. Trump&#39;s upbeat remarks came just over a week after Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was seized in a US special forces raid and brought to New York to face drug trafficking charges. Trump has said that the United States now has de facto control of Venezuela, as it enforces a naval blockade of the South American nation&#39;s vital oil exports. Rodriguez, despite being a close Maduro ally, has indicated a willingness to work with the United States, saying she is open to cooperating on Trump&#39;s demands for access to Venezuelan oil. Her government has also vowed to release political prisoners and begin talks on reestablishing diplomatic ties with Washington. US envoys visited Caracas on Friday to discuss reopening Washington&#39;s embassy there. &quot;Venezuela is really working out well. We&#39;re working along really well with the leadership,&quot; Trump told reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One. Asked if he planned to meet with Rodriguez, Trump said: &quot;At some point I&#39;ll be.&quot; He also said he expected to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Tuesday or Wednesday. Many were stunned when Trump dismissed the possibility of Machado serving as Venezuela&#39;s interim leader following the toppling of Maduro, and instead accepted Rodriguez&#39;s ascent. Machado was given the Nobel Peace Prize last year and dedicated it to Trump, though he has made no secret of his frustration at being passed over for the award. Political prisonersThe Venezuelan government began to release prisoners jailed under Maduro on Thursday, saying a &quot;large&quot; number would be released &mdash; but rights groups and the opposition say only about 20 have walked free so far, including several prominent opposition figures. Relatives have gathered outside prisons believed to be holding political detainees, to await their loved ones&#39; release, sometimes even camping outside. Rights groups estimate there are 800 to 1,200 political prisoners currently being held in Venezuela. &quot;Venezuela has started the process, in a BIG WAY, of releasing their political prisoners. Thank you!&quot; Trump said in a post late Saturday on his Truth Social platform. &quot;I hope those prisoners will remember how lucky they got that the USA came along and did what had to be done.&quot; Meanwhile, a detained police officer accused of &quot;treason&quot; against Venezuela died in state custody after a stroke and heart attack, the state prosecution service confirmed Sunday. Opposition groups said the 52-year-old man, Edison Jose Torres Fernandez, had shared messages critical of Maduro&#39;s government. &quot;We directly hold the regime of Delcy Rodriguez responsible for this death,&quot; Justice First, part of the Venezuelan opposition alliance, said on X. Late Saturday, families held candlelight vigils outside El Rodeo prison east of Caracas and El Helicoide, a notorious jail run by the intelligence services, holding signs with the names of their imprisoned relatives. Prisoners include Freddy Superlano, a close ally of Machado who was jailed after challenging Maduro&#39;s widely contested reelection in 2024. &quot;He is alive &mdash; that was what I was most afraid about,&quot; Superlano&#39;s wife, Aurora Silva, told reporters. &quot;He is standing strong, and I am sure he is going to come out soon.&quot; Maduro&#39;s supporters rallied in Caracas on Saturday, but the demonstrations were far smaller than his camp had mustered in the past, and top figures from his government were notably absent. Oil Trump pressed top oil executives at a White House meeting on Friday to invest in Venezuela, but was met with a cautious reception. ExxonMobil&#39;s chief executive, Darren Woods, notably dismissed the country as &quot;uninvestable&quot; without sweeping reforms &mdash; earning a rebuke from Trump. &quot;I didn&#39;t like Exxon&#39;s response. You know, we have so many that want it, I&#39;d probably be inclined to keep Exxon out. I didn&#39;t like their response. They&#39;re playing too cute,&quot; Trump said Sunday. Experts say Venezuela&#39;s oil infrastructure is creaky after years of mismanagement and sanctions.

US president also expected to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Tuesday or Wednesday; Trump has said that the US now has de facto control of Venezuela, as it enforces a naval blockade of the South American nation's vital oil exports.

Trump says working well with Venezuela's new leaders, open to meeting

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump&#39;s administration said Wednesday it will dictate decisions to Venezuela&#39;s interim leaders and control the country&#39;s oil sales &quot;indefinitely&quot; after toppling Nicolas Maduro. Trump&#39;s assertion of US dominance over the oil-rich South American country comes despite its interim leader Delcy Rodriguez saying there is no foreign power governing Caracas. &quot;There is a stain on our relations such as had never occurred in our history,&quot; Rodriguez said about the US attack to depose her predecessor. US special forces snatched president Maduro and his wife on Saturday in a lightning raid and whisked them to New York to face trial on drug charges, underscoring what Trump has called the &quot;Donroe Doctine&quot; of US dominance over its backyard. &quot;We obviously have maximum leverage over the interim authorities in Venezuela right now&quot; following the capture operation, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a briefing. &quot;We&#39;re continuing to be in close coordination with the interim authorities, and their decisions are going to continue to be dictated by the United States of America.&quot; Trump has said the United States will &quot;run&quot; Venezuela, which has the world&#39;s largest proven oil reserves. But Washington has no boots on the ground, and appears to be relying on a naval blockade and the threat of further force to ensure the cooperation of the interim president. Meanwhile Caracas announced Wednesday that at least 100 people were killed in the US attack and a similar number were injured. Among those hurt were Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said. The couple were seen walking on their own power during a New York court arraignment earlier this week. According to Havana, the death toll includes 32 members of the Cuban military. Maduro, like his firebrand predecessor Hugo Chavez, employed specialized Cuban soldiers as bodyguards. &#39;Not just winging it&#39;Trump&#39;s administration &mdash; which has so far indicated it intends to stick with Rodriguez and sideline opposition figures, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado &mdash; has given few details about its plans. Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted on Wednesday, after meeting lawmakers on Capitol Hill who have been critical about the post-Maduro planning, that the United States was &quot;not just winging it.&quot; But so far, the US plan relies heavily on what Trump said on Tuesday was an agreement for Venezuela to hand over between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil to the United States for it to then sell. Trump said Wednesday that under the deal Venezuela &quot;is going to be purchasing ONLY American Made Products, with the money they receive&quot; from the oil profits they receive. That would include agricultural products, machinery, medical devices and energy equipment, he added. Rubio said that in a second &quot;recovery&quot; phase, US and Western companies would have access to the Venezuelan market and &quot;at the same time, begin to create the process of reconciliation nationally within Venezuela.&quot; Venezuela&#39;s state oil firm said it was discussing oil sales with the United States for the &quot;sale of volumes of oil&quot; under existing commercial frameworks. But Washington is looking at longer term control, according to Energy Secretary Chris Wright. &quot;We&#39;re going to market the crude coming out of Venezuela, first this backed-up stored oil, and then indefinitely, going forward, we will sell the production that comes out of Venezuela,&quot; Wright said Wednesday. &#39;Immense opportunity&#39;&nbsp;Trump will on Friday meet executives from US oil companies, whom he has said will invest in Venezuela&#39;s crumbling facilities, despite no firm having yet made such pledges amid the turmoil in the country. &quot;It&#39;s just a meeting to discuss, obviously, the immense opportunity that is before these oil companies right now,&quot; Leavitt told reporters. Trump also invited leftist Colombian President Gustavo Petro to meet at the White House &quot;in the near future,&quot; after the two leaders had their first phone call Wednesday since Trump took office last year. Washington moved further to stamp its authority on Venezuela when it seized two oil tankers, including a Russian-linked vessel that it pursued from Venezuela to the North Atlantic. Moscow condemned the operation but Leavitt insisted the oil tanker had been &quot;deemed stateless after flying a false flag.&quot;

Washington says it also seized a Russian-linked oil tanker after pursuing it from Venezuela, stepping up Trump's assertion of US dominance over its neighborhood following Saturday's capture of Maduro.

US says to dictate Venezuela decisions and oil sales

Web Desk

Trump tasked ExxonMobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips with fixing U.S. infrastructure and boosting profits, though they haven't discussed Maduro's ouster with his administration.

Trump eyes US oil giants to run Venezuela after Maduro

UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for respect of nations&#39; political independence following a US military operation in Venezuela that Washington defended as a police action against Caracas&#39;s &quot;fugitive&quot; leader.&nbsp;US forces&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/explosions-heard-in-venezuelas-capital-afp-journalist" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">seized Nicolas Maduro and his wife</a>&nbsp;over the weekend, ending 12 years of increasingly authoritarian rule by the left-wing leader, whom Washington accused of running a cartel and targeted with a $50 million bounty.&nbsp;Guterres urges &quot;respect for the principles of sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of states,&quot; according to remarks read on his behalf by Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo during an emergency UN Security Council meeting on the crisis.&nbsp;&quot;I am deeply concerned about the possible intensification (of) instability in the country, the potential impact on the region, and the precedent it may set for how relations between and among states are conducted,&quot; the UN chief&#39;s remarks said.&nbsp;Colombia &mdash; a new member of the Security Council that formally requested the meeting, and whose leader, Gustavo Petro, has clashed with Donald Trump &mdash; also expressed concerns about US intentions.&nbsp;The UN Charter permits &quot;the use of force only under exceptional circumstances &mdash; in legitimate defense, in the face of an armed attack or when there is an express authorization by this Council,&quot; said Colombian ambassador Leonor Zalabata Torres.&nbsp;Even then, &quot;this does not amount to assuming political control of another state,&quot; she added.&nbsp;&#39;Era of lawlessness&#39;US Ambassador Mike Waltz defended what he described as a &quot;surgical law enforcement operation facilitated by the US military against two indicted fugitives of American justice, narco-terrorist Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores,&quot; his wife.&nbsp;&quot;As Secretary (of State Marco) Rubio has said, there is no war against Venezuela or its people. We are not occupying a country,&quot; Waltz said.&nbsp;He added, nonetheless, that &quot;you cannot continue to have the largest energy reserves in the world under the control of adversaries of the United States.&quot;&nbsp;US ally Britain called during the meeting for a &quot;safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government,&quot; with its acting UN representative, James Kariuki, saying Venezuelans &quot;deserve a government which reflects their vote at the ballot box.&quot;&nbsp;Some Security Council members criticized Washington&#39;s actions, including Venezuelan allies&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/china-calls-on-us-to-immediately-release-venezuelas-maduro" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Russia and China</a>, which demanded Maduro&#39;s release.&nbsp;Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia slammed the US operation that seized Maduro as a &quot;harbinger of a turn back to the era of lawlessness and US domination by force.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;We hope that you will abandon double standards and that you will not attempt to justify such an egregious act of aggression,&quot; Nebenzia said.&nbsp;Venezuela&#39;s representative, Samuel Moncada, requested the Security Council&#39;s support in demanding that the United States &quot;fully respect the immunities of President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.&quot;&nbsp;Maduro and his wife both appeared at a New York court on Monday, entering pleas of not guilty.

Some Security Council members, including Venezuelan allies Russia and China, demand Maduro's release.

UN chief urges 'respect' for sovereignty at Venezuela emergency meeting

ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned that Washington could launch another military strike on Venezuela, asserting that the United States is now &ldquo;in charge&rdquo; following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said further action was possible if remaining members of Venezuela&rsquo;s administration failed to cooperate with US efforts to &ldquo;fix&rdquo; the country. His remarks raised the prospect of continued US military involvement in Latin America.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 648px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2008003851295904208&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Flogin%2F&sessionId=eacb3058d9b61359491233de2392a1a634d079ca&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>Trump also hinted that other countries in the region could face pressure or action, warning that Colombia and Mexico must curb the flow of illicit drugs into the United States. &ldquo;Operation Colombia sounds good to me,&rdquo; he said, while adding that Cuba, a close ally of Venezuela, appeared to be &ldquo;ready to fall&rdquo; without direct US intervention.&nbsp;Insisting that Washington now holds authority in Venezuela, Trump said the US was dealing with what he described as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/new-venezuela-leader-to-pay-big-price-if-doesnt-do-whats-right-trump" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">newly installed leadership in Caracas</a>. Asked who was in charge, he replied, &ldquo;It means we&rsquo;re in charge.&rdquo; When questioned about whether the operation was driven by oil interests or regime change, Trump said it was about &ldquo;peace on earth,&rdquo; adding that elections in Venezuela would be held later. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to run it, fix it, and have elections at the right time,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;At the same time, Venezuela&rsquo;s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez said she was prepared to engage with the Trump administration, calling for a balanced and respectful relationship. However, senior figures in Maduro&rsquo;s camp rejected US claims, describing the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/explosions-heard-in-venezuelas-capital-afp-journalist" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">detention of Maduro and his wife</a>&nbsp;as a kidnapping and insisting Maduro remains the country&rsquo;s legitimate president.&nbsp;Maduro is currently being held in New York and is expected to appear in court on drug-related charges. His capture has triggered uncertainty in the oil-rich South American nation, where security forces have been placed on high alert. 32 Cubans killed in US raid in VenezuelaVenezuela&rsquo;s defense minister said the US operation resulted in the deaths of soldiers and civilians, while Cuba said dozens of its nationals were killed during the raid.&nbsp; <p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;' id="isPasted">&ldquo;As a result of the criminal attack carried out by the government of the United States&rdquo; against Venezuela, &ldquo;32 Cubans lost their lives in combat operations,&rdquo; the Cuban government said in a statement read on national television. <p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;' id="isPasted">The deceased were members of Cuba&#39;s Revolutionary Armed Forces or the Ministry of the Interior who were carrying out missions &ldquo;at the request of counterpart agencies,&quot; Cuban officials said.<p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;'> Havana has declared two days of national mourning beginning at dawn on Monday, and pledged to organize tributes. &ldquo;Honor and glory to the brave Cuban fighters who fell facing terrorists in imperial uniform,&rdquo; President Miguel Diaz-Canel wrote on X.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 873px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2007981620289249418&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Flogin%2F&sessionId=eacb3058d9b61359491233de2392a1a634d079ca&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div><p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;'> Washington, meanwhile, says it is prepared to work with remaining officials in Caracas, particularly to secure access for US investment in Venezuela&rsquo;s vast oil reserves. Trump&rsquo;s comments and the ongoing US military presence in the region have intensified debate over Washington&rsquo;s long-term strategy, even as administration officials insist the operation is aimed at combating drug trafficking rather than waging war on Venezuela.<p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;'> <p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;'><br style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, sans-serif;"><p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;'>In a stunning US military operation on Saturday, Maduro was extracted from Caracas along with his wife, Cilia Flores, to face charges of drug trafficking and terrorism in a New York court on Monday.<p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;'> <p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;'>With input from wires.

Hints that other countries in the region could face pressure or action, warning that Colombia and Mexico must curb the flow of illicit drugs into the United States

Articles tagged with "US Venezuela"