 "Venezuela frees 6 Americans as Trump’s envoy meets Maduro")
The government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has freed six Americans on Friday who were detained in the country in recent months. The development came after Maduro’s meeting with Donald Trump’s envoy, Richard Grenell, who was tasked with urging the authoritarian leader to take back deported migrants who have committed crimes in the United States.
Grenell said on Friday that he was returning to the US with six American citizens following a surprise meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.
The visit came as a shock to many Venezuelans who hoped that Trump would continue the “maximum pressure” campaign he pursued against Maduro during his first term.
Grenell’s hours-long trip to Venezuela, according to the White House, was focused on Trump’s efforts to deport Venezuelans back to their home country, which currently does not accept them, and on securing the release of the detained Americans.
Maduro sworn in for a third term
The meeting between Maduro and Grenell took place in Venezuela’s capital less than a month after Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term. There is credible evidence that he lost last year’s election. The US government, along with several other Western nations, does not recognize Maduro’s claim to victory.
Instead, they emphasise tally sheets collected by the opposition coalition, showing that its candidate, Edmundo González, won by more than a two-to-one margin.
Venezuelan state television aired footage of Grenell and Maduro speaking at the Miraflores Palace.
Venezuelan state media said the meeting had been requested by the US government.
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