'Brazen theft': Venezuela raps US seizure of plane after high-level talks
Venezuela has condemned the US seizure of one of its government planes as "brazen theft" which came just days after a high-level American delegation visited Caracas.
During a visit to the Dominican Republic on Thursday, Rubio oversaw the seizure of a Dassault Falcon 200 jet, marking the second time in less than a year that the US has confiscated an aircraft belonging to Venezuela's government.
The plane had been held by Dominican authorities at a military airstrip in Santo Domingo after the US alleged it violated sanctions against Venezuela.
Venezuela's foreign ministry denounced the action, stating, "We denounce the brazen theft of a plane belonging to the Venezuelan nation."
The ministry also targeted Rubio directly, calling him a "mercenary of hate" and a "thief", vowing to "take all necessary actions to denounce this theft and demand the immediate return of its aircraft."
The seizure came just six days after Trump's special envoy, Richard Grenell visited Caracas on January 31.
Grenell's trip reportedly focused on demanding that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro accept the return of deported Venezuelan migrants.
During the visit, Grenell secured the release of six US prisoners, which Maduro hailed as a potential "new beginning" in relations with Washington.
However, Rubio and other US officials have maintained a hardline stance, saying that the US does not recognize Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate president.
The seized plane had reportedly been used by Venezuelan officials for trips to Greece, Turkey, Russia, Nicaragua, and Cuba, and was in the Dominican Republic for maintenance.
This is the second Venezuelan government plane seized by the US in five months. In September 2024, the Biden administration confiscated another aircraft in the Dominican Republic that had been used to transport Maduro on international trips.
The Trump administration previously imposed severe sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector and recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the country's interim president, though these efforts failed to topple Maduro's government. Despite Grenell's recent visit, Rubio downplayed the likelihood of a diplomatic breakthrough, signaling continued tensions between the two nations.
US hostility to Venezuela started more than two decades ago with the launch of the Bolivarian Revolution by the late Venezuelan anti-imperialist and revolutionary leader Hugo Chavez.
Since the mid-2010s, US administrations have subjected Caracas to extreme sanctions meant to destabilize the economy of the oil-rich country.
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