WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he held a “long call” with Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, the first known direct contact between the two since the ouster of Nicolas Maduro, as Caracas continued a cautious release of prisoners detained during years of political repression.
“We just had a great conversation today, and she’s a terrific person,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. He later said on social media the pair discussed “many topics,” including oil, minerals, trade and national security, and added, “We are making tremendous progress.”
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Trump also suggested the United States could maintain oversight of the Caribbean country for years, a sign Washington intends to stay closely involved in the post-Maduro transition even as it presses for institutional reforms and human-rights protections.
Rodriguez described the exchange as “productive and courteous” and said it was characterized by “mutual respect.” In messages on Telegram, she said the two agreed to work on a “bilateral agenda for the benefit of our people,” while acknowledging “outstanding issues” between the governments remain.
At her first press conference as interim president, the 56-year-old said Venezuela was entering a “new political era” with greater tolerance for ideological and political diversity. The balancing act is delicate: Rodriguez is seeking to meet U.S. demands for democratic guarantees without alienating Maduro loyalists who still dominate the security apparatus and associated paramilitary groups.
Under U.S. pressure, Venezuelan authorities have released dozens of political prisoners in the past week, though rights advocates say hundreds more remain behind bars. Rodriguez said 406 people have been freed since December and that the process “has not yet concluded.” The legal aid group Foro Penal put the total closer to 180. An AFP count, based on data from NGOs and opposition parties, recorded 70 releases since Maduro’s fall; AFP has reported Maduro was taken to the United States to face trial on drug-trafficking charges.
The latest tranche included 17 journalists and media workers, continuing a pattern of low-profile releases intended to tamp down celebratory scenes. Authorities have avoided prison gates crowded by relatives, instead freeing detainees at shopping centers, offices and other locations out of public view.
Among those freed was Roland Carreno, a prominent opposition activist and journalist detained in August 2024 following post-election protests. Previously imprisoned from 2020 to 2023 on terrorism charges frequently used against government critics, Carreno appeared in a video calling for “peace and reconciliation.” Former presidential candidate Enrique Marquez, one of the earliest releases, was driven home in a police patrol car, underscoring the controlled nature of the process.
A U.S. State Department official said some American citizens were also released, without providing numbers or details about where they had been held. Families of detainees continued to keep vigil outside a detention center in the Boleita district of Caracas, waiting for names to appear on lists and for sporadic phone calls that often arrive without warning.
Trump, meanwhile, has kept prominent opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at arm’s length during the early stages of the transition, arguing she lacks sufficient “respect” inside the country. Machado, currently outside Venezuela, is expected to meet Trump at the White House later today to push for a central role for the opposition in the roadmap ahead.
The emerging diplomacy underscores the stakes for both sides: The United States wants credible political liberalization and assurances on energy and security, while Rodriguez needs international support and sanctions relief without splintering a fragile domestic coalition. The measured pace of prisoner releases — and the competing tallies — reflect both the progress and the limits of the moment.
For now, both Trump and Rodriguez are signaling momentum, even as the families waiting in Boleita and beyond measure it person by person. Whether Washington’s proposed “oversight” endures for years, as Trump suggested, will hinge on what happens next: more releases, clearer rules for political participation and a path toward institutions Venezuelans across the spectrum see as legitimate.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
