MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US special envoy lands in Caracas

The exact purpose of Grenell's trip is yet to be disclosed but he was meeting with Maduro Friday

US career diplomat Richard Grenell landed Friday in Caracas presumably to participate in the return of a group of Venezuelan deportees in exchange for US nationals detained by the Bolivarian regime in the South American country. However, neither government has made any agenda public so the full scope of Washington's former Ambassador to Germany is mostly media speculation.

Local sources have confirmed that Venezuelan ruler Nicolás Maduro, who was sworn in for a new 6-year term on Jan. 10 despite the controversial July 28, 2024, elections the opposition also claims to have won, has agreed to meet with US President Donald Trump's special envoy. Maduro is expected to offer Trump “a zero agenda” deal. The US increased the reward for the capture of Maduro and other Bolivarian officials, who are said to be linked to drug trafficking.

Grenell, a 58-year-old career diplomat, was Trump's ambassador to Germany between 2018 and 2020. During that time he was notorious for pressing then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel into complying with the NATO defense participation agreement and increasing military spending by 2 % of the country's GDP. The diplomat is also fond of the right-wing Alternative for Germany party, a strong contender for the upcoming elections after gaining support from Elon Musk, a staunch ally of Trump's

Other topics of interest between the United States and Venezuela include the so-called “license 41” issue, which allows Chevron to carry out crude oil exploitation activities, which Trump said would be reviewed. The Financial Times reported Friday that Chevron was seeking to maintain the special license that allows it to operate in Venezuela. Chevron CEO Mike Wirth told the newspaper that the company would contact the White House after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the license should be reconsidered. If Chevron is forced out, China and Russia will gain influence in the OPEC nation, Wirth claimed.

“Diplomacy is back,” Grenell said on X but released no further details as to the purpose of his mission. According to Republican Congressman Rick Scott, Trump's envoy would be demanding the return of the Americans held hostage in that country. Trump’s special envoy to Latin America Mauricio Claver-Carone explained that Grenell was in Venezuela on a “very specific mission” that in no way detracts from the Trump administration’s goal of restoring democracy. “I would urge the Maduro government, the Maduro regime in Venezuela, to heed special envoy Ric Grenell’s message,” said Claver-Carone.“Ultimately there will be consequences otherwise,” he added.

Around 10 US nationals -including a Navy SEAL- allegedly linked to plots to destabilize the country have been arrested by Venezuela's Chavistas in the aftermath of the July 28 elections. However, none of these cases has been declared wrongfully detained by the US State Department, The Associated Press recalled.

With Trump's administration fiercely tackling irregular migration, many Venezuelans are feared to fall into that category after some 7.7 million of them have fled Maduro's regime since 2013.