Venezuela | DD News

November 2, 2025 9:19 AM

Putin rushes to help Maduro, sends Wagner Group to Venezuela as Trump beats the drums of war

The U.S. - Venezuela confrontation has erupted to new heights. And now, Russia has entered the fight. Recently, a Russian military transport plane landed in Caracas, signalling Moscow’s direct involvement in the crisis. For Washington, D.C., it’s a clear challenge in its own backyard. The U.S. has already committed 10,000 troops, warships, F-35 jets and special forces to the Caribbean. The U.S. says that the buildup is to combat drug-traffickers but critics warn that it looks more like a r...

October 31, 2025 10:58 PM

Trump says he is not considering strikes within Venezuela

President Donald Trump on Friday denied he was considering strikes inside Venezuela, appearing to contradict his own comments from last week and amid intensifying expectations that Washington may soon expand drug-trafficking-related operations. The United States has built up a large military presence in the Caribbean in recent months, with fighter jets, warships and thousands of troops. That presence will significantly expand in the coming weeks with the arrival of the Gerald Ford aircraft carr...

October 19, 2025 8:58 AM

Trump claims he has stopped eight wars. So why is he starting a new one with Venezuela?

Why is Trump, who has said a zillion times that the war between Ukraine and Russia would never have started if he were the President, training his guns on Maduro? That's the question that is agitating many a mind around the world, including Venezuela. There's no doubt that the South American country is in Trump's cross-hairs. He's made it clear that he wants Maduro out. Trump has sent an armada to Venezuela's shores. There are 10,000 U.S. troops in position, most of them at bases in Puerto Ric...

October 17, 2025 10:10 AM

Venezuela asks UN Security Council to say US strikes illegal

Venezuela has asked the United Nations Security Council to determine that deadly U.S. strikes on vessels off its coast are illegal and issue a statement backing Venezuela's sovereignty, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday. U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a large U.S. military buildup in the southern Caribbean, and the troops have conducted at least five strikes on vessels the Trump administration has described as involved in drug trafficking, without providing evidence. I...

October 10, 2025 4:35 PM

Venezuela’s Maria Corina Machado wins 2025 Nobel Peace Prize

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who lives in hiding, won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for fighting dictatorship in the country, receiving the award despite U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated insistence he deserved it. Machado, a 58-year-old industrial engineer, was blocked in 2024 by Venezuela's courts from running for president and thus challenging President Nicolas Maduro, who has been in power since 2013. "When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to reco...

October 7, 2025 9:06 AM

Trump calls off diplomatic outreach to Venezuela, US official says

U.S. President Donald Trump has called off efforts to reach a diplomatic agreement with Venezuela and told his special envoy Richard Grenell to stop all outreach, a senior U.S. official said on Monday. The news, which was first reported by the New York Times, follows a series of military strikes on vessels carrying drugs near Venezuela. Trump told Congress that the U.S. is engaged in “a non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels. Although Trump is reportedly considering strikes in...

September 16, 2025 9:48 AM

Trump says US struck another alleged Venezuelan drug vessel, killing three

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the U.S. military carried out a strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug cartel vessel heading to the United States, the second such strike against a suspected drug boat in recent weeks. He said three men were killed in the strike, adding that it occurred in international waters. Trump provided no evidence for his assertion that the boat was carrying drugs. "This morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against po...

August 8, 2025 10:09 AM

US increases reward for arrest of Venezuela’s Maduro to $50 million

The United States has doubled its reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to $50 million over allegations of drug trafficking and links to criminal groups, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Thursday. In a video posted to X, Bondi accused Maduro of collaborating with prominent criminal groups such as Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said on Telegram that the announcement was "the most r...

March 24, 2025 10:18 PM

Trump to impose 25% tariff on countries that buy oil, gas from Venezuela

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that any country that buys oil or gas from Venezuela will pay a 25% tariff on any trades made with the United States. This "secondary tariff" will take effect on April 2, Trump said in a Truth Social post. Trump said he is imposing the move because, he said, Venezuela has sent "tens of thousands" of people to the United States who have a "very violent nature." Earlier this month, Trump issued a 30-day wind down of a license that the U.S. had granted t...

September 9, 2024 10:13 AM

Venezuela opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez lands in Spain seeking asylum

Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez flew into Spain on Sunday to seek asylum, Madrid said, hours after quitting his country amid a political and diplomatic crisis over July's disputed election. Gonzalez - who has challenged President Nicolas Maduro's declaration of victory - arrived at the Torrejon de Ardoz military base with his wife, Spain's foreign ministry said in a statement. The exit of the 75-year-old - seen by the U.S., the EU and other powers in the region a...