When Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado walked into the White House on Thursday, she came bearing the gift US President Donald Trump has long coveted: a Nobel Peace Prize.

A day after she gave President Donald Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado insisted that her country was on an irreversible path toward democracy, even as Trump has spoken far more frequently in recent days about securing Venezuelan oil than bringing about free elections.

Jan 16 (Reuters) - CIA Director John Ratcliffe met Venezuela's interim leader in Caracas to discuss cooperation, a U.S. official said on Friday, in the most senior known visit by a U.S. official since the United States toppled President Nicolas Maduro this month.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodríguez in Caracas on Thursday, according to a US official.

Claims of a mysterious "sonic weapon" used in Venezuela fuel speculation about exotic U.S. military technology, though experts point to known devices.

U.S. President Trump on Sunday posted on his social media platform saying Cuba should make a deal with the U.S. "before it is too late."

As millions of Venezuelans wait to see what will become of their economically and politically ravaged country, a battle has emerged between two female leaders for control over the nation’s future – and for the American president’s favor.

The U.S. military seized a sixth Venezuelan oil tanker in a Caribbean operation Thursday amid the Trump administration's campaign against illicit oil trade.

Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodríguez has proposed new oil reforms in her first state of the union address since former president Nicolás Maduro was seized by the US. Rodríguez said she wanted to reform the law that limits foreign involvement in the country's oil industry - a move away from Maduro's policies.