The United States and Venezuela agree to establish diplomatic relations for the first time since 2019

The United States and Venezuela have agreed to restore diplomatic relations in a major shift in a historically adversarial relationship, the State Department said Thursday.

“The United States and the interim authorities of Venezuela have agreed to reestablish diplomatic and consular relations,” the State Department said in a statement. “This step will facilitate our joint efforts to promote stability, support economic recovery and promote political reconciliation in Venezuela.”

The move comes after Trump administration officials made several visits to the South American nation after a US military operation who deposed former President Nicolás Maduro in January, the latest from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum this week. The Trump administration the pressure has been building Maduro loyalists now in power to accept his vision for the oil rich nation.

Relations between both countries were severed in 2019, during the first Trump administration, by Maduro’s decision. They closed each other’s embassies after President Trump publicly supported Venezuelan opposition lawmaker Juan Guaidó, who claimed to be the nation’s interim president in January 2019. That same month, amid political unrest and violence in Venezuela, the Trump administration ordered that all non-essential US diplomatic and government personnel leave Venezuela.

Since then, the United States has operated its consular services from Bogotá, Colombia. In January, following Maduro’s capture, the Trump administration notified Congress that it would begin taking steps to eventually reopen its embassy in Venezuela.

The State Department in its statement said talks between the countries were “focused on helping the Venezuelan people move forward through a gradual process that creates the conditions for a peaceful transition to a democratically elected government.”

The announcement was made at the end of Burgum’s two-day visit to Venezuela. The visit focused largely on the country’s mining sector. This followed a visit in February by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, which focused on Venezuela’s oil potential. Both secretaries aim to shore up foreign investment to advance the administration’s gradual plan to recover the crisis-ravaged nation.

Interim President Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president, said on state television that such measures “will strengthen relations between our two countries.”

The Rodríguez government in a statement later expressed confidence that the reestablishment of diplomatic relations “will contribute to strengthening understanding and opening opportunities for a positive and mutually beneficial relationship.”

“These relationships must result in the social and economic happiness of the Venezuelan people,” he stated.

Since the unprecedented US offensive in Venezuela, the Trump administration has pressured the government to make sweeping changes, including opening its oil sector to foreign companies.

“We told all the companies that we met with in the last two days, if they had any problems with material or people coming through visas or capital into the country, to talk to us because we want to help those who want to come here to do constructive work with high integrity. We want to clear the way for them to get here and start working,” Burgum told reporters Thursday.

The Rodríguez government also approved an amnesty law That has allowed the release of politicians, activists, lawyers and many others, effectively acknowledging that the government has kept hundreds of people in prison for political motivations.

Trump surprised Venezuelans inside and outside his home country with his decision to work with Rodríguez, rather than the political opposition, following the overthrow of Maduro. On Sunday, Venezuela’s top opposition leader and winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize Maria Corina Machado He said he will return to Venezuela in the coming weeks and that elections will be held in Venezuela.