U.S. and Venezuela agree to reestablish diplomatic ties in major shift after Maduro's ouster

By — Regina Garcia Cano, Associated Press Regina Garcia Cano, Associated Press By — Megan Janetsky, Associated Press Megan Janetsky, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter U.S. and Venezuela agree to reestablish diplomatic ties in major shift after Maduro's ouster World Mar 5, 2026 8:18 PM EST CARACAS, Venezuela — The United States and Venezuela agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations in a major shift in a historically adversarial relationship, the State Department said on Thursday. The move comes after rounds of Trump administration officials have visited the South American nation following a U.S. military operation that deposed former President Nicolás Maduro in January. Since then, the Trump administration has been stepping up pressure on Maduro loyalists now in power to accept its vision for the oil-rich nation. READ MORE: Rubio defends U.S. ouster of Venezuela's Maduro to Caribbean leaders Relations between the two countries were cut off in 2019, during the first Trump administration, in a decision by Maduro. They closed their embassies mutually after U.S. President Donald Trump gave public support to Venezuelan opposition lawmaker Juan Guaidó, who claimed to be the nation's interim president in January that year. That prompted U.S. diplomatic staff to move to neighboring Colombia. The State Department in a statement on Thursday said that talks between the countries were "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." The announcement was made at the end of a two-day visit by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to Venezuela. The visit largely focused on the country's mining sector. It followed a February visit by Energy Secretary Chris Wright that centered on Venezuela's oil potential. Both secretaries are aiming to shore up foreig...