Top U.S. commander visits Venezuela for security talks

The top U.S. military commander for Latin America, General Francis Donovan, accompanied by Senior Pentagon official Joseph Humire, made an unannounced trip to Venezuela on Wednesday for security talks, U.S. officials confirmed.

The delegation’s visit marked the first by U.S. forces since Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured last month and brought to New York.

Venezuela’s interim government said the U.S. delegation met with interim President Delcy Rodríguez, Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino, and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello. The officials agreed to cooperate on tackling drug-trafficking, terrorism, and migration. Both Padrino and Cabello face U.S. indictments related to drug trafficking.

The visit followed a trip last week by U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright to Caracas, reflecting President Donald Trump’s strategy of combining military presence and energy policy to encourage Venezuelan reforms.

Washington has indicated it will manage Venezuela’s oil sector indefinitely and maintains a strong naval presence in the Caribbean, targeting suspected drug vessels and coordinating with the Coast Guard to intercept Venezuela-linked tankers.

Venezuela’s government stressed that diplomacy remains the preferred route for managing relations with Washington, which seeks for Caracas to reduce ties with U.S. adversaries and open opportunities for U.S. businesses. Venezuela holds the world’s largest crude oil reserves.

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“The meeting reaffirms that diplomacy should guide the resolution of differences and address bilateral and regional interests,” Communications Minister Miguel Angel Perez said on X.

The U.S. Southern Command said in a post on X, "Discussions focused on the security environment, steps to ensure the implementation of President Donald Trump's three-phase plan - particularly the stabilization of Venezuela - and the importance of shared security across the Western Hemisphere." 

It added that Donovan and Humire were joined in the talks by Laura Dogu, the new U.S. envoy to Venezuela.

Dogu described the visit as an historic step toward advancing the goal of a Venezuela aligned with the United States.

For Donovan, it was his first trip to Latin America as Head of Southern Command, a post he assumed on 5 February. He previously served as Deputy Commander at U.S. Special Operations Command, overseeing global operations.

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