Venezuela says it launched talks with US to restore tiesAFP, CARACASVenezuela on Friday said it had launched talks with the US on restoring diplomatic ties, days after US forces deposed Nicolas Maduro as its president. Venezuela said it would be reciprocating by sending a delegation to Washington. It’s a whole different Venezuela,” Trump said, adding that companies would only deal with Washington, not Caracas, when exploiting Venezuela’s oil resources. Trump earlier said that oil companies promised to invest US$100 billion in Venezuela, whose oil infrastructure is creaky after years of mismanagement and sanctions. State-owned oil company PDVSA confirmed that one vessel was returning to Venezuelan waters, describing it as the “first successful joint operation” with Washington.

Source: Taipei Times January 10, 2026 16:50 UTC