The Trump administration on Friday denied reports from Caracas alleging that the United States had abruptly halted deportation flights to Venezuela. Venezuelan authorities said the U.S. government had unilaterally suspended a scheduled deportation flight that was due to land on December 12.

With the economy in ruins, and U.S. military forces off the coast, uncertainty and rumors mark life in Venezuela, dampening the yuletide mood.

Venezuela’s foreign affairs minister denounced the seizure, calling it a “blatant theft” and “an act of international piracy.”

Vladimir Putin calls Nicolás Maduro to pledge Russian support as U.S. pressure on Venezuela intensifies following massive oil tanker seizure and Caribbean military buildup.

President Trump is turning up the pressure against Venezuela and its strongman leader Nicolás Maduro, seizing a massive oil tanker en route to Cuba this week and slapping additional

Experts say that Russian and Chinese support for Venezuela has largely dried up, with no prospect of real military or financial aid.

María Corina Machado said in Oslo, where she collected the award, that President Donald Trump's "decisive" actions had made the Venezuelan regime "weaker than ever."

The US special forces veteran who spirited Nobel laureate María Corina Machado out of Venezuela has begged her not to return to the country, after a perilous rescue mission that lasted nearly 16 hours and was carried out largely in the middle of the night through rough waters.