Rodriguez has been walking a diplomatic tightrope, trying to meet Trump’s demands without alienating Maduro loyalists, who still control Venezuela’s security forces and feared paramilitaries. Writing on Telegram, she described her call with Trump as “productive and courteous” and characterised by “mutual respect”. Under pressure from Washington, Venezuela has released dozens of political prisoners in the past week, but hundreds remain behind bars. Rodriguez claimed a total of 406 political prisoners had been freed since December in a process that “has not yet concluded”. Trump has so far sidelined opposition leader Maria Corina Machado from Venezuela’s post-Maduro transition, claiming the Nobel Peace Prize laureate does not have enough “respect” within the country.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 14, 2026 23:40 UTC