Venezuela Signals Thaw as Delcy Rodriguez Talks Prisoner Releases and Trump Hails “Spectacular” Partnership

Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez has pledged to continue releasing detainees held under the rule of Nicolas Maduro, describing her first phone call with Donald Trump since Maduro’s abduction by US forces as long, productive and unexpectedly cordial.

Speaking on Wednesday, Rodriguez said the conversation marked the beginning of a “new political moment” for Venezuela and involved discussions around a bilateral agenda aimed at benefiting both countries. It was her first direct contact with Trump since US forces seized Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores during a military operation in Caracas on January 3. Both are now being held in US custody.

Trump offered an unusually warm public assessment of the exchange. Writing on Truth Social, he said the two leaders discussed oil, minerals, trade and national security, adding that a future partnership between Washington and Caracas would be “spectacular”.

“I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela,” Trump said later at the White House, calling Rodriguez a “terrific person” and noting that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had also been in contact with her.

The conciliatory tone marks a striking shift after weeks of military escalation. Trump said last week that a planned second wave of US attacks on Venezuela had been cancelled due to what he described as cooperation from leaders in Caracas, including the release of a significant number of prisoners as a signal of “seeking peace” with Washington.

Earlier on Wednesday, during her first media appearance since Maduro’s removal, Rodriguez said the process of releasing detainees was ongoing and not yet complete.

“This opportunity is for Venezuela and for the people of Venezuela to be able to see reflected a new moment where coexistence, where living together, where recognition of the other allows building and erecting a new spirituality,” she said.

Standing alongside her brother, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, the acting president also promised strict enforcement of the law, while crediting Maduro with having already initiated the prisoner release process before his capture.

“Messages of hatred, intolerance, acts of violence will not be permitted,” Rodriguez said.

Her remarks followed an announcement by Jorge Rodriguez in parliament on Tuesday that more than 400 detainees had been freed in recent days. Venezuelan authorities continue to deny holding political prisoners, though the release of people detained for political reasons has long been a central demand of human rights groups, international organisations and opposition figures.

Criticism has nonetheless mounted over the pace of releases, with rights advocates arguing that progress remains slow and selective under the post-Maduro leadership.

Meanwhile, Trump is scheduled to meet on Thursday with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at the White House. It will be their first in-person meeting since Maduro’s abduction. Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, has reportedly offered to give Trump the award, an idea the Nobel Committee swiftly dismissed, noting that the prize cannot be transferred.