US reopens embassy in Venezuela in significant thawing of relations

Resumption of diplomatic operations come three months after former president Maduro was abducted Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox The US government is resuming operations at its embassy in Venezuela, the state department announced on Monday, nearly three months since former president Nicolás Maduro was abducted from the country and locked up in the US. The resumption of US diplomatic operations in Venezuela marks a significant step in the US-Venezuela relationship, as the Trump administration begins to work closely with the government of Delcy Rodríguez, the acting president who replaced Maduro after his forcible ousting by US troops. Rodríguez was Maduro’s vice-president. The US embassy in Venezuela has not been operational since March 2019. Heightening tension between both countries, escalating for decades, led to the rupture of diplomatic relations between the two. The US government has not had an ambassador in Venezuela since 2010. In 2018, Maduro expelled the charge d’affairs in Venezuela, leading to the US government to withdraw all its diplomatic personnel from the country the following year. Since then, US relations towards Venez