Politics
Maduro Bends The Knee To Trump, Releases Six American Hostages
Six American hostages detained in Venezuela are back home after the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, agreed to let them go after a meeting with President Donald Trump’s envoy.
The meeting, which was held in Caracas, is a notable one as the United States government does not officially recognize Maduro’s presidency. Many opposition leaders in Venezuela believe that Maduro stole the election held last year, according to an article published by CNN.
As of this writing, United States officials have not released any details concerning the release of the six hostages. However, the president’s envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, did post a photograph on social media platform X that featured him along with the men on board a plane headed for home.
“I’ve just been informed that we are bringing six hostages home from Venezuela,” Trump stated in a post published on Truth Social. “Thank you to Ric Grenell and my entire staff. Great job!”
The picture shows the Americans clothed in light blue uniforms, which are usually worn by those who have been serving time in the Venezuelan prison system.
“We are wheels up and headed home with these six American citizens. They just spoke to President Trump, and they couldn’t stop thanking him,” Grenell stated in his post.
Opposition in Venezuela has been vocal about their protests against the third term of the country’s president. They have published thousands of voting tallies that seem to suggest their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, is the true winner of last July’s election. The opposition received support from organizations such as the Carter Center and the Colombian Electoral Mission.
“Friday’s prisoner release came after a meeting between Grenell and Maduro, which had been expected to cover the deportation of Venezuelan nationals from the US. Trump has prioritized his campaign promise of mass deportations but Maduro has refused to take Venezuelan nationals back – and the US has generally been unable to send Venezuelans back because of frosty relations,” CNN reported.
“Gonzalez, who the US recognizes as Venezuela’s president-elect and who attended Trump’s inauguration, has warned the White House against cutting a deal with Maduro on deportation flights,” the report added.
While Grenell was on his way to meet up with Maduro on Friday, President Trump was asked by the media if the envoy taking a photo with Maduro would legitimize his presidency. He responded by telling the reporters that he “wanted to do something” with the country and Maduro.
“They’ve treated us not so good, but they’ve treated, more importantly, the Venezuelan people, very badly,” he responded.
In a yearly address of the judiciary on Friday evening, Maduro stated that the meeting with Grenell resulted in a few initial deals being reached and that he was optimistic that “new deals for the good of the two countries and the region” would come around the corner.
“President Donald Trump, we have made a first step; hopefully, it can continue,” Maduro stated.
According to a statement released by the Venezuelan government on Friday, the two men discussed immigration and sanctions. Under Maduro’s leadership, the oil-saturated nation has been lost in a sea of economic and political woes, the root of which is hyperinflation.
As a result, millions of its residents have left the country. Things are so bad that the State Department is advising Americans not to visit Venezuela as there’s a “high risk of wrongful detention of U.S. nationals.”
