Laura Dogu, the top US envoy for Venezuela, arrives in Caracas as the two countries gradually resume bilateral relations, broken in 2019 by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
In a post on Telegram, Venezuelan foreign affairs minister Yván Gil says that her visit is meant to “establish a roadmap on matters of bilateral interest” and “resolve existing differences through diplomatic dialogue and through a base of mutual understanding and international law.”
Dogu, who previously served as ambassador to Honduras and Nicaragua, writes on X that she has arrived in Venezuela and that “my team and I are ready to work.”
The US captured Maduro on January 3 and brought him to New York for arraignment in court on narcoterrorism charges. Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela’s interim president, has since said she seeks to move towards “balanced and respectful international relations” with the United States.
The two countries have reached a deal to export up to $2 billion worth of Venezuelan crude to the United States, and on Friday Rodriguez announced a proposed “amnesty law” for hundreds of prisoners in the country and said the Helicoide detention center in Caracas would be turned into a center for sports and social services.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 1, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
