US and Venezuela agree to reestablish diplomatic relations in major shift after Maduro's ouster

Source: Associated Press

Updated 7:41 PM EST, March 5, 2026
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — 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.

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.

Read more: US and Venezuela agree to reestablish diplomatic relations in major shift after Maduro’s ouster