After seven years of diplomatic rupture and recent intense political upheaval, the US Embassy in Venezuela officially raised the Stars and Stripes on Saturday (March 14). This not only symbolizes the full restart of US-Venezuela diplomatic relations, but also marks the beginning of a new geopolitical landscape in the region led by the Trump administration.
On Saturday morning, Laura F. Dogu, the Acting Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Venezuela, announced on the social platform X that today, at the same moment as seven years ago when they evacuated, she and her team once again raised the American flag.
“On March 14, 2019, the American flag was last lowered at the Caracas embassy,” Dogu continued to write, “Today, at the exact same moment seven years later, we let it fly again. A new era of US-Venezuela relations has begun.”
In 2019, then-US President Trump recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the interim president of Venezuela, leading to President Nicolás Maduro declaring a diplomatic break with the US and the subsequent withdrawal of all diplomatic personnel by the US. Since then, the magnificent building located on the hills of Caracas had been under Swiss custody and remained vacant.
The reopening of the embassy comes against the backdrop of the shocking military operation that took place earlier this year. On January 3, the US military launched a raid named “Operation Absolute Resolve,” capturing Maduro and his wife in Caracas. Maduro was subsequently taken to New York to face charges related to drug terrorism and drug trafficking to the US, and he is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn awaiting trial.
After Maduro’s arrest, former Vice President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez assumed the position of interim president. In contrast to the confrontation of the previous regime, the Rodríguez government quickly engaged in dialogue with Washington. On March 5, both sides reached an agreement to restore diplomatic and consular relations.
Trump publicly praised Rodríguez as a leader who can “make Venezuela great again.” Despite Rodríguez initially accusing the US military operation of being a “kidnapping,” relations quickly warmed up after consensus was reached on lifting sanctions and energy development.
At a time of a “lightning reconciliation” in US-Venezuela relations, global energy security is facing challenges. Amid ongoing turmoil in the Middle East, especially with the security threats to the Strait of Hormuz causing fluctuations in international oil prices, the Trump administration is in urgent need to tap into Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, the world’s largest.
Currently, US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum has started mining and energy negotiations with Venezuela, with American oil giants like Chevron preparing to re-enter the local market.
The US State Department stated on Thursday (March 12) that the agreement with the interim authorities in Venezuela will promote economic recovery and political reconciliation in the country. Rodríguez expressed gratitude to President Trump for his “goodwill and cooperation” on social media. As a gesture of goodwill, the Rodríguez government has released several hundred political prisoners in batches over the past few weeks (from February to early March).
In the streets of Caracas, many residents welcomed the reopening of the US Embassy. Luz Verónica López, a citizen, told the Associated Press in an interview, “This is a joy, we need progress, we need to restore normal relations with the world.”
Another resident, Alessandro Di Benedetto, who witnessed the flag-raising ceremony, expressed surprise and optimism to the media, saying, “This is a positive step forward.”