Top US envoy arrives in Caracas amid thaw in ties

Published 01 Feb, 2026 11:36am
By
Laura Dogu.
Laura Dogu.

Laura Dogu, the top US envoy for Venezuela, arrived on Saturday in Caracas as the two countries gradually resume bilateral relations, broken in 2019 by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

In a post on Telegram, Venezuelan foreign affairs minister Yván Gil said that her visit is meant to “establish a roadmap on matters of bilateral interest” and “resolve existing differences through diplomatic dialogue and through a base of mutual understanding and international law.”

Dogu, who previously served as ambassador to Honduras and Nicaragua, wrote on X that she had arrived in Venezuela and that “my team and I are ready to work.”

The US captured Maduro and his wife on January 3 and brought him to New York for arraignment in court on narcoterrorism charges.

Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela’s interim president, has since said she seeks to move towards “balanced and respectful international relations“ with the United States.

The two countries have reached a deal to export up to $2 billion worth of Venezuelan crude to the United States, and on Friday, Rodriguez announced a proposed “amnesty law” for hundreds of prisoners in the country and said the Helicoide detention centre in Caracas would be turned into a centre for sports and social services.


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