Six Americans who had been detained in Venezuela were freed by the government of President Nicolas Maduro after he met with a Trump administration official on Friday.
US President Donald Trump and his envoy for special missions Richard Grenell announced the release of the six men on social media.
Mr Grenell’s visit came as a shock to many Venezuelans who hoped Mr Trump would continue the “maximum pressure” campaign he pursued against Mr Maduro during his first term.
According to the White House, the trip was focused on Mr Trump’s efforts to deport Venezuelans back to their home country, which does not accept them, and on the release of the detained Americans.
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“We are wheels up and headed home with these 6 American citizens,” Mr Grenell posted on X along with a photo showing him and the men aboard an aircraft. “They just spoke to @realDonaldTrump and they couldn’t stop thanking him.”
The meeting in Venezuela’s capital took place less than a month after Mr Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term despite credible evidence that he lost last year’s election.
The US government, along with several other Western nations, does not recognise Maduro’s claim to victory and instead points to tally sheets collected by the opposition coalition showing that its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, won by a more than a two-to-one margin.
Venezuelan state television aired footage of Mr Grenell and Mr Maduro speaking in the Miraflores Palace and said the meeting had been requested by the US government.
Signing an executive order in the Oval Office on Friday, Mr Trump was asked if Mr Grenell being filmed meeting with Mr Maduro gave legitimacy to a government that the White House does not officially recognise.
“No. We want to do something with Venezuela. I’ve been a very big opponent of Venezuela and Maduro,” Mr Trump responded. “They’ve treated us not so good, but they’ve treated, more importantly, the Venezuelan people, very badly.”
Mr Maduro, appearing on state television after Mr Grenell had left Venezuela, said the visit yielded “initial agreements” but did not provide any details.
This photo released by Venezuela’s presidential press office shows Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, centre, with Richard Grenell, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, left, at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas (Venezuela’s presidential press office/AP)
“I have seen three US presidents pass before me,” he said. “This is the fourth term, and our message has been one: We want to build relationships of respect for Venezuela’s sovereignty, for Venezuela’s democratic life, for international law and for our Latin American region.”
Some Republicans criticised the visit.
“This is terrible timing,” said Elliott Abrams, who served as special envoy to Venezuela and Iran during the first Trump administration. “A meeting with Maduro will be used by him to legitimise his rule and show that the Americans recognize him as president.
“If the purpose is to deliver a tough message about migration issues, the president could’ve done that himself. There was no need to send someone to Caracas.”
The dispute over the election results sparked nationwide protests. More than 2,200 people were arrested during and after the demonstrations.
Among those detained are as many as 10 Americans who the government has linked to alleged plots to destabilize the country. Neither the White House nor Mr Maduro’s government immediately released the names of the six who were freed Friday.
A nonprofit group that had advocated for the release of a detainee said David Estrella, a 62-year-old who was last heard from in September, was among those on their way back to the US. Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello had accused Mr Estrella of being part of an alleged plot to assassinate Maduro.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Friday that Mr Trump had instructed Mr Grenell to “identify a place and ensure that repatriation flights” carrying Venezuelans, including members of the Tren de Aragua criminal organisation, “land in Venezuela.” She said the president ordered Mr Grenell to “ensure that all US detainees in Venezuela are returned home”.