The Trump administration is taking tentative steps toward reopening the American embassy in Venezuela, seven years after operations were suspended in Caracas.

The United States shut its embassy in 2019, shifting responsibility for Venezuelan affairs to its mission in Colombia after Washington recognised opposition lawmaker Juan Guaidó as the country’s legitimate president and dismissed Nicolás Maduro’s 2018 re-election as fraudulent. Since then, diplomatic contact has been largely indirect.

Any reopening would mark a significant recalibration. According to people familiar with internal discussions, cited by Bloomberg, planning remains preliminary and no decision has been taken. The deliberations are at an early stage, with officials careful not to signal a broader policy shift before conditions are assessed.

Still, the idea is under active consideration. “We’re thinking about it,” President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked about restoring a US diplomatic presence in the wake of Maduro’s capture.

The former Venezuelan leader is now awaiting trial in New York, a development that has reopened channels for engagement.

Todd Robinson, a retired career foreign service officer who once led the US embassy in Caracas, said reopening the mission would give Washington valuable leverage. A presence on the ground would allow US officials to meet politicians directly and re-engage with Venezuela’s powerful military establishment.

“It would be a huge advantage to get the embassy open again,” he said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a long-time critic of both Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chávez, is playing a leading role in shaping the administration’s approach, according to a US official. On Sunday, Rubio said Washington would judge Venezuela’s next leadership by actions rather than rhetoric.

“We’re going to make an assessment on the basis of what they do, not what they say publicly,” he said, adding that the direction of the relationship would depend on steps taken “moving forward.”