Overview
- Authorities released opposition figures Enrique Márquez and Biagio Pilieri and five Spanish citizens including Rocío San Miguel, with officials calling it a gesture to seek peace, though the total number freed remains unclear.
- Human-rights monitors say hundreds remain jailed, with Foro Penal estimating 863 political detainees as of late December and reports indicating only a handful have been released so far.
- President Donald Trump praised the interim leadership as cooperative and said he canceled a previously expected second wave of strikes, while U.S. warships remain positioned for security.
- Washington is pressing oil leverage with a plan to sell 30–50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude and meetings with major U.S. oil executives, as Venezuela’s state oil firm says it is negotiating sales terms.
- The Senate advanced a measure to curb further military action without approval, Caracas announced exploratory talks to restore diplomatic missions, and Trump plans to meet opposition leader María Corina Machado next week.