US President Donald Trump took to X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday (February 1) to announce the return of six American hostages from Venezuela, marking a significant moment in diplomatic relations with the Maduro regime.
“Hostages from Venezuela arrived home last night, in great condition!,” Trump wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
In a follow-up tweet, Trump provided further context to the developments, focusing on Venezuela’s agreement to take back illegal aliens from the US, including members of the Tren de Aragua gang.
"It is so good to have the Venezuela Hostages back home and, very important to note, that Venezuela has agreed to receive, back into their Country, all Venezuela illegal aliens who were encamped in the U.S., including gang members of Tren de Aragua. Venezuela has further agreed to supply the transportation back. We are in the process of removing record numbers of illegal aliens from all Countries, and all Countries have agreed to accept these illegal aliens back. Furthermore, record numbers of criminals are being removed from our Country, and the Border numbers are the strongest they have been since the First Term of the Trump Administration!"
The six Americans—who had been detained by Venezuelan authorities in recent months—were released after a meeting between Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Trump’s envoy, Richard Grenell. Grenell’s visit to Venezuela took many by surprise.
Grenell posted an update on X, sharing a photo with the released hostages aboard an aircraft. “We are wheels up and headed home with these 6 American citizens,” he wrote. “They just spoke to @realDonaldTrump and they couldn’t stop thanking him.”
And, in another X post, Grenell wrote after landing in the US: We are home. God bless these Americans."
The meeting with Maduro took place in Caracas, where Grenell and the Venezuelan leader discussed the release of the hostages and the repatriation of deported Venezuelan migrants.
Despite being under international scrutiny and facing allegations of a fraudulent re-election, Maduro referred to the meeting as a step toward strengthening relations with the US.
“We want to build relationships of respect for Venezuela’s sovereignty, for Venezuela’s democratic life, for international law and for our Latin American region,” Maduro said on Venezuelan state television.
While Trump has long criticised Maduro’s authoritarian rule, he reiterated during a press briefing that he was not looking to legitimise the Venezuelan government. "No. We want to do something with Venezuela. I’ve been a very big opponent of Venezuela and Maduro,” Trump stated. “They’ve treated us not so good, but they’ve treated, more importantly, the Venezuelan people, very badly.”
This diplomatic breakthrough comes amid ongoing tensions and challenges regarding Venezuela’s political crisis, and the US government’s strained relations with the Maduro regime. Despite acknowledging “initial agreements” during the meeting, Maduro refrained from offering further details about the talks.
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