The United States and Venezuela have decided to officially talk again. Like two exes who try again a long time later. After years of political confrontation, sanctions and diplomatic rupture, both countries announced this Thursday the formal reestablishment of diplomatic and consular relations, a movement that opens a new stage in a relationship marked for decades by tension.
The announcement comes just two months after one of the most extraordinary episodes in recent international politics: during a US military operation in Caracas on January 3.
Since then, the country has been governed by the Chavista vice president. Delcy Rodríguez, who took over as interim president after Maduro’s arrest and the activation of the constitutional succession mechanisms.
In this new political scenario, Caracas and Washington have begun to rebuild a relationship that had been broken since 2019.
The announcement that changes the board
The Venezuelan Government confirmed this Thursday the reestablishment of diplomatic relations in a statement released by Foreign Minister Yván Gil. In the text, the Executive led by Delcy Rodríguez assured that he is willing to open “a new stage of constructive dialogue” with the United States.
“We reaffirm our willingness to advance in a new stage based on mutual respect, the sovereign equality of States and cooperation between our peoples,” the statement said.
The decision comes after several weeks of discreet contacts between both governments and after the visit to Caracas of the US Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum, one of the envoys of the to manage the Venezuelan political transition.
According to Caracas, this diplomatic process opens the door to a “positive and shared benefit” relationship between both countries.
The objective declared by the Venezuelan Government is that this new stage contributes to improving the economic and social conditions of the country. “These relations must result in the social and economic happiness of the Venezuelan people,” the official statement emphasizes.
Hours before the Venezuelan announcement, the State Department had already confirmed the formal reestablishment of diplomatic relations.
An approach that has been brewing since January
The movement is the latest step in a rapprochement process that began immediately after Maduro’s capture.
After the US military operation, dubbed “Operation Absolute Resolve”, Washington launched a three-phase strategy for Venezuela’s political future: stabilization, economic recovery and democratic transition.
In this plan, Delcy Rodríguez has been designated by the US administration as the figure in charge of piloting the first phase of stabilization of the country.
In parallel, both governments began to rebuild a minimal diplomatic architecture. At the end of January, the United States appointed diplomat Laura Dogu as chargé d’affaires in Caracas. Shortly after, Venezuela appointed Félix Plasencia as diplomatic representative to Washington.
Since then, Rodríguez has held meetings with several senior US officials, including Burgum, Dogu and US Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
The end of a breakup that began in 2019
The reestablishment of relations closes, at least formally, a chapter that began seven years ago.
In 2019, during the first term of Donald Trump, Washington decided to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela. Nicolás Maduro’s response was to break diplomatic relations with the United States and expel its diplomats from the country.
Since then, both governments maintained a practically non-existent relationship, marked by economic sanctions, political confrontations and episodes of high tension. The capture of Maduro has radically changed that scenario.
With Chavismo trying to reorganize internal power and the United States betting on a controlled transition, both countries seem to have opted for a pragmatic strategy: talking to each other again.
What remains to be seen is whether this rapprochement will be the beginning of real normalization or just another chapter in a relationship that, historically, has been anything but stable.
