
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that opens the door to imposing tariffs on imports from countries deemed to be supplying crude oil to Cuba, a move designed to raise the external cost of keeping Havana’s energy lifeline open and further constrain fuel flows to the island.

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has revived his sharpest anti-Trump rhetoric days before a planned meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, calling on Washington to “return” Nicolás Maduro so he can be tried in Venezuela rather than in U.S. courts.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that Washington is not considering “any military action” in Venezuela, as he testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to outline the Trump administration’s strategy following the capture of former president Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.

The landing in Ushuaia of a U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying a bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers has reignited political controversy in Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego province and sharpened attention on the country’s strategic footprint in the South Atlantic and Antarctica, amid deepening ties between President Javier Milei and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva held a phone call on Monday with U.S. President Donald Trump, in a nearly hour-long conversation that blended global governance issues with the bilateral agenda. Brazilian media, citing Planalto Palace sources, reported that Lula argued Trump’s proposed “Peace Board” should be restricted exclusively to the future governance of the Gaza Strip and should also contemplate the creation of a Palestinian state—an approach those sources said Trump does not share.

Global opposition to United States foreign and trade policies has intensified in the wake of sharp confrontations at the World Economic Forum in Davos 2026, with leaders from Europe, Asia, and Latin America pushing back against unilateral U.S. initiatives, including strategic pressure tactics.

Protesters returned to the streets of Minneapolis demanding accountability after Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive-care nurse and U.S. citizen, was shot dead during a federal immigration enforcement operation. Multiple videos of the incident are now central to official reviews, as the episode triggers a fresh political clash between Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and the Trump administration—set against a broader national fight over “sanctuary” policies and how far local authorities should cooperate with federal immigration agencies.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Friday that global politics is entering a critical phase in which “multilateralism is being thrown out by unilateralism,” and argued that US President Donald Trump is effectively proposing “to create a new UN in which he alone is the owner,” referring to Washington’s plan to set up a Peace Council tied to the administration of Gaza.

Venezuela’s National Assembly has approved, in a first reading, a reform to the country’s Hydrocarbons Law that would expand private participation in crude production and marketing—an important shift from the long-running “mixed-company” model in which the state held majority stakes. The bill still requires a second reading before it can become law, EFE reported.

The United States has named veteran Foreign Service officer Laura Dogu as its new mission chief for Venezuela, a step that aligns with broader signs of a tentative diplomatic reset — including discussions about reopening embassies and plans for Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodríguez to travel to Washington, though no dates or agenda have been disclosed.