Americans detained in Venezuela freed and returning home
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It was after midnight in Malaysia when Secretary of State Marco Rubio dialed into a call between President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The topic was Ukraine and Rubio, on his first trip to Asia as Trump’s top diplomat,
"Until today, more Americans were wrongfully held in Venezuela than any other country in the world."Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. More: The shadowy rise of Donald Trump's favorite president: Nayib Bukele "I want to thank my team at the @StateDep & especially President @nayibbukele for helping secure an agreement for the release of all of our American detainees,
While Rubio sought to broker a swap, Grenell was quietly pursuing his own deal. Instead of focusing on a direct exchange of prisoners, he offered Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro a potential economic lifeline: allowing Chevron to keep its oil operations in Venezuela if the regime released American detainees.