Overview
- Acting ambassador to Colombia John McNamara and Venezuela Affairs Unit staff arrived in Caracas to conduct an initial assessment for a potential phased resumption of U.S. embassy operations.
- Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry announced an exploratory diplomatic process aimed at re-establishing missions in both countries and said it will dispatch a reciprocal delegation to Washington without setting a date.
- A senior U.S. official said no meetings with Venezuela’s interim leadership are expected during this visit, though future engagements are under discussion.
- The U.S. embassy in Caracas has been closed since 2019, with Venezuela-related diplomacy run from the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá.
- The trip follows the U.S. capture and transfer of Nicolás Maduro to New York on federal charges, as the administration links re-engagement to broader plans involving Venezuelan oil and economic leverage.