The National Assembly approved unanimously this Thursday the Law for Palestine and Humanity and the Law Repealing the Rome Statute, a step that initiates the formal process to withdraw the country from the International Criminal Court. The document was sent immediately to the Executive Branch for evaluation and diplomatic execution.
In a conversation that even surprised regional allies, Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Nicolás Maduro held their first phone call of the year. The Brazilian president expressed his concern over the US military presence in the Caribbean and made clear his willingness to facilitate a “political way out amid increasing pressures from Donald Trump.”
Russia and Belarus are doubling down on their support for the Venezuelan leader amid increasing signs that he might seek refuge abroad, as Washington deploys forces to the Caribbean and Donald Trump warns that Nicolás Maduro’s “days are numbered.”
Donald Trump confirmed that US forces confiscated a “large oil tanker” off the coast of Venezuela. The operation, initially revealed by Bloomberg, represents a significant escalation in the bilateral conflict and threatens to further complicate Venezuelan crude exports, at a time of increasing military pressure and sanctions. The incident coincides with the day María Corina Machado received the Nobel Peace Prize.
The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony was marked by the absence of the laureate,María Corina Machado, whose daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, read the acceptance speech on her behalf. The reading took place hours after The Wall Street Journal reported that Machado had left Venezuela for Curaçao by boat, in an operation that—according to U.S. officials cited by the outlet—was organized to ensure her safety. The Bloomberg agency added that it involved internal collaboration from officials linked to the administration of Nicolás Maduro.
In a time of growing hemispheric tension, Qatar expressed its readiness to intervene as a mediator between the United States and Venezuela if requested, while Brazil warned of the risk that any U.S. military intervention could lead to a prolonged conflict in South America. Simultaneously, Türkiye and Venezuela agreed to reestablish the Turkish Airlines air route, suspended after the U.S. warning regarding Venezuelan airspace.
A group of Venezuelan political and social representatives met in Cúcuta with Colombian president Gustavo Petro on December 3 to propose a peaceful, negotiated, and democratic solution route for their country and to reject any form of military interference.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Tuesday imposed new sanctions against a network of individuals and entities associated with Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Venezuelan criminal group designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). The measure targets both the group’s leadership and facilitators within the entertainment industry.
Washington has asked Caracas to authorize repatriation flights this very week, amid the de facto closure of Venezuelan airspace ordered by Donald Trump and the crisis generated by the suspension of routes to Spain. More than 70 deportation flights have landed at Maiquetía since both governments resumed migration cooperation.
The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has confirmed that it will close its office in Caracas due to a lack of substantial progress in national investigative efforts.
