The American flag was raised over the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, on Saturday for the first time in seven years, marking the beginning of a new phase in U.S.-Venezuela diplomatic relations. The embassy compound remains under renovation, and officials have not specified when it will fully reopen.
The flag raising followed the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces in Caracas on January 3. Maduro was transferred to New York, where he is detained in a federal jail facing charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons offenses. His wife, Cilia Flores, is also charged with federal drug trafficking and weapons-related offenses; both have pleaded not guilty.
The U.S. Embassy highlighted the event on social media, describing it as the start of “a new era” for relations between Washington and Caracas. Residents in Caracas expressed cautious optimism about the symbolic gesture. Local resident Alessandro Di Benedetto told The Associated Press that many onlookers were “surprised and happy” about the flag being raised again, viewing it as a positive step forward.
The embassy had been closed since March 12, 2019, when the U.S. and Venezuela severed diplomatic ties amid escalating political tensions. The flag’s return signals a potential reopening in bilateral relations following the latest developments around Maduro’s detention and the federal charges against him and his wife.
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