Trump showers appearing Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez with reward after first cellphone name for the reason that US navy’s abduction of President Nicolas Maduro.
Revealed On 15 Jan 2026
Venezuela’s appearing President Delcy Rodriguez has pledged to continue releasing prisoners detained below the presidency of Nicolas Maduro and described her first cellphone name with United States President Donald Trump since Maduro’s abduction by US forces as optimistic.
Rodriguez, Maduro’s former vice president, mentioned on Wednesday that she had an extended, productive and courteous cellphone name with the US president, in which the 2 mentioned a bilateral agenda that might profit each international locations.
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Trump, in a put up on his Reality Social platform, mentioned the 2 mentioned oil, minerals, commerce and nationwide safety, describing how “this partnership” between the US and Venezuela can be “spectacular”.
“I believe we’re getting alongside very nicely with Venezuela,” Trump mentioned on the White Home after the prolonged name, describing Rodriguez as a “terrific individual”, including that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had additionally been in contact with the appearing president.
Trump’s reward of Rodriguez follows after President Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, had been kidnapped by the US navy in an assault on the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, on January 3. Maduro and Flores at the moment are being held in jail within the US.
Trump mentioned final week that a second wave of US attacks on Venezuela had been cancelled amid “cooperation” from leaders in Caracas, together with the discharge of a giant variety of prisoners as an indication of “in search of peace” with Washington.
Earlier on Wednesday, throughout her first media briefing since Maduro’s abduction, Rodriguez mentioned Venezuela was coming into a “new political second” and the process of releasing detainees “has not but concluded”.
“This chance is for Venezuela and for the folks of Venezuela to have the ability to see mirrored a brand new second the place coexistence, the place dwelling collectively, the place recognition of the opposite permits constructing and erecting a brand new spirituality,” Rodriguez mentioned in her tackle.
Flanked by her brother and Nationwide Meeting President Jorge Rodriguez, and Inside Minister Diosdado Cabello, the appearing president additionally pledged “strict” enforcement of the regulation and credited Maduro with already initiating the discharge of prisoners.
“Messages of hatred, intolerance, acts of violence won’t be permitted,” Rodriguez mentioned.
The renewed promise to proceed liberating prisoners adopted after Jorge Rodriguez introduced in parliament on Tuesday that greater than 400 detainees had been freed just lately.
Whereas Venezuelan authorities deny that they maintain political prisoners, the discharge of individuals held for political causes in Venezuela has been a long-running name of rights teams, worldwide our bodies and opposition figures.
Rights teams in current days have criticised the gradual launch of prisoners by the post-Maduro management.
Trump is scheduled to satisfy on Thursday with Venezuelan opposition chief Maria Corina Machado on the White Home, their first in-person assembly for the reason that abduction of Maduro.
Machado, who gained the Nobel Peace Prize final yr, has supplied to present Trump her prize, however the Nobel Committee mentioned the Peace Prize can’t be transferred.
