International
El Salvador formalizes the proposal for the exchange of Venezuelan deportees, according to Bukele
The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, reiterated on Tuesday the proposal to his counterpart Nicolás Maduro to exchange 252 Venezuelans deported by the United States for an equal number of “political prisoners”, and revealed that the proposal was formally moved through the Salvadoran Foreign Ministry.
“I reiterate our proposal, this time attaching the formal documentation sent to your Foreign Ministry,” Bukele said in a message in X, in which he shared the letter allegedly sent through diplomatic channels.
And he added: “I look forward to your response. And I hope that the Venezuelan people, and the whole world, can see clearly, if they still had any doubts, who you really are.”
The document, dated April 22, indicates that the 252 Venezuelans, accused by the United States of being members of the transnational gang Tren de Aragua, are “under the custody of the Salvadoran prison system” and are imprisoned in the maximum security prison Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot).
It is indicated that these people “are being prosecuted for the commission of several crimes,” without detailing them and if it is under the jurisdiction of the United States or El Salvador.
“In this sense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (of El Salvador), formally transfers a proposal for the total repatriation of the 252 detained Venezuelan citizens, conditioned on the release and delivery, by Venezuela, of an equal number (252) of persons deprived of liberty for political reasons in Venezuelan territory,” the note indicates.
He adds that this includes the release of 50 citizens of different nationalities, such as American, German, Dominican, Argentine, Bolivian, Israeli, Chilean, Colombian, Ecuadorian, Spanish, French, Guyanese, Dutch, Iranian, Italian, Lebanese, Mexican, Peruvian, Puerto Rican, Ukrainian, Uruguayan, Portuguese and Czech.
“If this proposal is considered viable, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (of El Salvador) expresses that it is in a position to enable the necessary channels to technically coordinate the mechanisms for the implementation of this operation, guaranteeing its effective and safe execution,” underlines the letter.
Bukele also questioned Maduro in that message in X: “Did you think an exchange of 30 for 1 was fair, but now you reject an equitable proposal of 1 for 1?, Weren’t you the one who said that you would do ‘everything necessary’ to achieve the release of Venezuelans detained in El Salvador? Does it mean then that he was lying? Was the reception in Miraflores to the relatives of the detainees a simple media show?”
The Bukele Government reiterates, this time in an official document, that these people are in detainees in El Salvador, but without specifying under what regulations.
According to an analysis published by the Bloomberg portal, 90% of the more than 200 men that the US has imprisoned in El Salvador have no criminal record in the United States.
On Monday, the Attorney General of Venezuela, Tarek William Saab, described the proposal made on Sunday by Bukele as “cynical”, while demanding a faith of life of that group of migrants, detained in the Central American nation.
The Administration of Nicolás Maduro, who was sworn in for a third term after his questioned re-election, described on Tuesday as “morally inadmissible” the proposal of the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, to exchange the 252 Venezuelan migrants deported by the United States for the same number of those considered “political prisoners” of the Caribbean country.
Through a letter sent to the Foreign Ministry of El Salvador, the Chavista Administration indicated that the proposal of “illegal exchange” and “morally inadmissible”, aims to condition the release of “innocent people to an exchange by citizens deprived of liberty in Venezuela for completely foreign causes (commission of terrible punishable acts), without legal or ethical basis”.
“Additionally taking into account that none of the detainees he mentions has Salvadoran citizenship, the majority of these being Venezuelan citizens,” he added.
He also said that Bukele’s proposal constitutes a “legal aberration, unprecedented in the context of bilateral or multilateral relations, which violates elementary principles of justice, proportionality and human dignity.”
The Venezuelan Administration again demanded the “immediate and unconditional” release of the 252 migrants deported by the United States to El Salvador for allegedly belonging to the criminal gang Tren de Aragua, born in a prison in the Caribbean country, and held the Salvadoran government responsible “for any affectation to their physical and psychological integrity.”
Likewise, he demanded that the Government of El Salvador give an “immediate, truthful and complete” response to a questionnaire sent by the Public Ministry (MP, Prosecutor’s Office), “which contains fundamental requirements for the ongoing investigation and for the guarantee of the rights of persons deprived of liberty.”
For Maduro’s Executive, this note constitutes “an express confession of serious violations of international human rights law, as well as the commission of acts that could be classified as international criminal actions,” among which he mentioned “collective criminalization and institutional xenophobia”, “denial of the right to defense, due process and access to justice”, in addition to “kidnapping and forced transfer to a third country without a judicial order or legal process.”
International
Trump floats Vance-Rubio potential Republican ticket for 2028 election
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubiocould potentially form a Republican presidential ticket for the 2028 elections.
Speaking during a dinner with law enforcement officials as part of National Police Week, Trump publicly praised both officials and said they could make “an ideal team” for the next presidential race.
“Who likes JD Vance? Who likes Marco Rubio?” Trump asked attendees before adding that the pair “sound like a good combination.”
The president highlighted his vice president’s performance in office, stating that their current partnership has been highly effective. “JD is perfect, that has been a perfect formula,” Trump told reporters later.
He further suggested that a Vance-Rubio pairing could represent a strong presidential and vice-presidential ticket, although he stopped short of offering any formal endorsement.
“I think it sounds like a presidential candidate and a vice-presidential candidate,” he said, while clarifying that his remarks should not be interpreted as an official backing of any future campaign.
So far, neither Vance nor Rubio has publicly confirmed any intention to run in the 2028 presidential election.
Rubio previously sought the Republican nomination in 2016 but withdrew after losing the primary race to Trump. Later, in a December 2025 interview with Vanity Fair, he said he would be among the first to support Vance if he decided to run for the White House.
Vance, meanwhile, has recently dismissed speculation of any political rivalry with Rubio amid growing discussion about potential future GOP leadership.
International
Russia Accuses Ukraine of Violating Victory Day Truce
Russia accused Ukraine on Saturday of violating a Victory Day truce that was reportedly agreed with mediation from the United States, claiming that Ukrainian forces carried out attacks on Russian territory as well as on the annexed Crimean peninsula.
Despite the declared ceasefire, the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement that Ukrainian forces attacked Russian military positions using attack drones and artillery.
According to the ministry, Ukrainian forces made twelve attempts to advance toward Russian-held positions across several sectors of the front line.
It also alleged that Ukrainian strikes targeted civilian infrastructure in Crimea, several border regions, the Caucasus, and other areas including Moscow and Perm in the Ural region.
The Defense Ministry estimated around 8,900 violations of the ceasefire in total, including more than 7,000 drone attacks and over 1,000 strikes involving tanks, artillery, multiple rocket launch systems, and mortars since the truce came into effect at midnight.
Russia said its forces responded “symmetrically” to what it described as violations by Ukrainian troops.
Earlier, the Kremlin denied claims that Ukraine attempted to sabotage a military parade in Red Square marking the 81st anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
“No attempts were made. Everything went well,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told local media.
International
Trump Says U.S.-Iran Talks Progressing, Signals Possible Deal on Strait of Hormuz
U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Washington is holding “very good” talks with Iran and stated that there is a strong possibility of reaching an agreement to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“We’ve had very good conversations over the last 44 hours, and it’s very possible that we’ll reach an agreement,” Trump said during an event held in the Oval Office at the White House.
The president’s remarks came just hours after he announced a temporary suspension of the military operation aimed at escorting vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf due to Iran’s blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Trump explained that the pause in operations is intended to facilitate diplomatic negotiations between both sides and prevent further military escalation in the region.
“We’re in good shape, and right now things are going well. Now we have to achieve what we need to achieve. If we don’t, we’ll have to go much further,” the Republican president warned.
In a post published on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump reiterated that if Iran accepts Washington’s proposed conditions, military operations and the naval blockade affecting the Islamic republic would come to an end.
However, he also issued a new warning to the Iranian government, stating that the United States would respond with attacks “of greater intensity” if Tehran rejects the agreement promoted by the White House.
Panama confirms drug contamination of El Salvador coffee shipment occurred on its territory
Trump floats Vance-Rubio potential Republican ticket for 2028 election
Russia Accuses Ukraine of Violating Victory Day Truce
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
