Overview
- President Trump announced at the Shield of the Americas summit in Doral that the United States has legally recognized Acting President Delcy Rodríguez’s government.
- Washington and Caracas have resumed diplomatic relations following stepped-up contacts, including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s visit to Caracas this week.
- The United States has conditionally reopened trade in Venezuelan gold and begun easing some oil-related restrictions as leverage alongside sector-opening measures passed in Caracas.
- Rodríguez’s administration has advanced an energy law opening the oil sector and an amnesty law, with authorities reporting new prisoner releases in Caracas on Saturday.
- Key opposition figures, including Nobel laureate María Corina Machado, reject Rodríguez’s legitimacy and press for elections, with discussions reported at Machado’s second White House meeting.