Washingtons seeks to restore diplomatic ties with Venezuela

The Trump administration has notified Congress that it is taking the first steps to possibly reopen the shuttered US Embassy in Venezuela.

The US is exploring the restoration of relations with Venezuela after this month's military raid that ousted then-President Nicolas Maduro.

In a notice to lawmakers, the State Department said it was sending in a regular and growing contingent of temporary staffers to conduct "select" diplomatic functions.

The US Embassy in Caracas shuttered its doors in 2019. when Washington halted diplomatic relations.

With Nicolas Maduro facing trial after being seized by the US military, US President Donald Trump is trying to normalise ties with his successor, Acting President Delcy Rodriguez.

However, this would require the US revoking its decision to recognise the Venezuelan parliament elected in 2015 as the legitimate government.

Rodriguez said during a visit to a hospital in Caracas that a scenario of respect and courtesy exists between Venezuela and the US.

She said she has a cordial working relationship with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is expected to tell a Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Washington is ready to take new military action if Venezuela strays from US expectations.

Rodriguez did not touch on the US Embassy issue.

Meanwhile, Colombian President Gustavo Petro urged Trump to return Maduro to Venezuela to stand trial in his home country.

Maduro and his wife were taken from Caracas on January 3 and sent to New York to face drug trafficking charges.

Trump once said that Petro could be next on his list, even with the Colombian leader expected to visit the White House on February 3 in an attempt to improve bilateral relations.

In the wake of Maduro's fall, Trump wants to stop oil supplies to Cuba from Venezuela.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday said her government has at least temporarily stopped oil shipments to Cuba, adding that it was not because of pressure from the US. She said it was partly over general fluctuations of oil supplies.

Sheinbaum added that Mexico will continue to show solidarity with Havana, which has relied heavily on Mexican oil over the years in the face of US sanctions.

On the streets of Havana, thousands of students carrying torches marched to honour Cuba's national hero Jose Marti on the 173rd anniversary of his birthday.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel attended wearing a t-shirt reading "Centenary anti-imperialism torch".