Venezuela begins ‘exploratory process’ to re-establish formal ties with the US. US-Venezuela tensions are news.

US State Department officials are visiting Caracas, less than a week after the military kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro.

Venezuela’s government has said it is holding “exploratory” talks with the United States to restore diplomatic ties in view of Washington’s move. kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro.

The government, led by interim President Delsey Rodriguez, also said Friday that the U.S. State Department officials were visiting Caracas and that Venezuela would soon respond by sending a delegation to Washington.

“The government has decided to initiate an exploratory process of a diplomatic nature with the government of the United States, with the aim of re-establishing diplomatic missions in both countries,” it said in a statement.

US–Venezuela relations declined in 1999 in the wake of the rise of leftist President Hugo Chávez. Over the next 10 years, both countries withdrew their ambassadors.

In 2019, diplomatic relations were completely severed after the administration of US President Donald Trump recognised opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the country’s interim president.

Since then, the US has been handling Venezuelan affairs from an office in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia.

Rodriguez was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president just two days after U.S. forces captured Maduro. This operation has been widely condemned as a gross violation of international law.

The former vice president continued to condemn US actions as a gross violation of Venezuelan sovereignty, even as he softened his tone on cooperation with the US.

“Our people and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war,” he said.

The Trump administration has vowed to use military pressure and sanctions to impose its will indefinitely on Venezuela’s government and the management of the country’s vast oil reserves.

Trump initially threatened to make Maduro pay a “big price” if Rodríguez did not comply with US interests. Maduro remained in a US federal facility on Friday after pleading guilty earlier this week to “narco-terrorism” conspiracy and drug trafficking charges.

In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said he had cancelled a “previously expected second wave of attacks” on Venezuela, citing increased cooperation with Caracas.

This included a move by Venezuela on Thursday to release a small portion of its political prisoners, which Trump called a sign of “the pursuit of peace”.

“The United States and Venezuela are working well together,

especially as it relates to rebuilding their oil and gas infrastructure into something much bigger, better and more modern,” Trump said, adding that the U.S. military assets in the region would continue to increase.

Trump and his top officials have offered competing justifications for Maduro’s kidnapping and the ongoing pressure campaign against Caracas. The administration has called the attack a one-sided “law enforcement operation”, while also saying that the use of military force remains on the table to achieve its goals.

Earlier on Friday, US forces seized the fifth oil tanker in the Caribbean since Trump announced a blockade on Washington-sanctioned vessels in December.

UN experts have said the blockade and Washington’s efforts to establish control over Venezuela’s oil industry also violate international law.

Trump is scheduled to meet with oil and gas executives at the White House later Friday.