US Raises Flag at Embassy in Venezuela for the first time in seven years as diplomatic ties resume following the capture of Nicolás Maduro

The United States Department of State on Saturday raised the American flag above the United States Embassy in Caracas for the first time in seven years after Washington restored diplomatic relations with Venezuela following the capture of former president Nicolás Maduro.

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The flag raising marked a symbolic moment in the rapidly shifting relationship between the two countries, coming months after a dramatic US military operation removed Maduro from power and transported him to New York City to face drug trafficking charges. (CBS News)

“A new era has begun. We’re staying with Venezuela,” wrote Laura Dogu, the US Charge d’Affaires and the most senior American diplomat currently posted in Caracas, in a message shared on social media alongside an image of the Stars and Stripes being raised above the embassy compound.

Dogu noted that the ceremony took place exactly seven years after the flag was removed on March 14, 2019, when Caracas severed diplomatic ties with Washington following US refusal to recognise Maduro’s disputed 2018 re-election.

Relations between the two nations have shifted dramatically since January, when US special forces carried out a raid that resulted in the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were flown to the United States to stand trial on drug trafficking charges. (CBS News)

The operation formed part of a broader US military campaign against alleged narcotics networks linked to Maduro’s government, culminating in the removal of the longtime Venezuelan leader from power. (Wikipedia)

Since the intervention, Washington has moved swiftly to rebuild diplomatic ties with Caracas. Interim Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodríguez, formerly Maduro’s deputy, has overseen a series of agreements with Donald Trump aimed at reopening Venezuela’s energy sector to foreign investment.

The deals include energy and mining arrangements designed to attract private capital and grant US companies access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, widely considered among the largest in the world.

Rodríguez on Friday urged Washington to fully lift remaining economic sanctions imposed during years of political confrontation.

The United States has already eased parts of a seven-year oil embargo and granted limited operating licences to several multinational firms under strict conditions, signalling a cautious but decisive reset in bilateral relations.

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For diplomats in Caracas, the raising of the flag above the embassy compound served as a powerful symbol of that transformation, marking the first visible sign that formal diplomatic engagement between Washington and Caracas has resumed.