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US President Donald Trump’s demands to take over NATO ally Denmark’s territory Greenland have thrust alliance chief Mark Rutte into an uncomfortable position.His strategy for now: say as little as possible and try to change the subject. Facing warnings the crisis could tear the 76-year-old military alliance apart, the former Dutch premier has sought to keep himself and NATO out of the fray. Instead, he’s tried to deflect Trump’s desires by stubbornly focusing on joint efforts to boost Arctic security, dodged tricky questions and even kept on praising the US leader. That approach hasn’t always gone down too well.At a meeting with members of the European Parliament this week Rutte was repeatedly put on the spot.”Allow me to address you as the guy who’s looking after all of us,” said agitated Danish lawmaker Stine Bosse.”Please give us an indication of what this alliance can do if two countries within the alliance cannot agree?”Rutte, however, remained unfazed. “My role as secretary general, I’m very clear — I never ever comment when there are discussions within the alliance,” he stonewalled. “You work behind the scenes.”The alliance chief insisted his energy was squarely on making sure NATO was doing enough to protect the Arctic — a key justification in Trump’s rationale for wanting Greenland.”I believe there is a bigger issue at stake here, and that is the defence of the high north, the defence of the Arctic area,” Rutte said. He then went even further and repeated his argument that Trump has in fact made NATO’s alliance stronger by forcing others to spend more on defence. “I know you will all hate me now saying this, but this is what I believe,” he said.- ‘Keep the Americans onboard’ -That sangfroid is a large part of the reason why Rutte is in the job.Billed as a “Trump-whisperer”, he is one of a handful of European leaders who have been able to win the ear of the unpredictable US president.The wily political operator converted the goodwill into a major success at NATO’s summit this summer by securing a landmark spending deal that kept Trump happy.Among diplomats at the alliance’s headquarters, there is a general understanding of Rutte’s low-key approach.”It’s difficult for Rutte to take the lead here as he has to keep the alliance together and keep the Americans onboard,” said Jamie Shea, a former senior NATO official now with Chatham House think tank. “He can’t take the European side against Washington.” While some European leaders like Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen and France’s Emmanuel Macron have been more outspoken — the concrete steps taken so far have focused on reinforcing NATO’s position in Greenland and the Arctic.  Copenhagen has sent more troops to the island and other European powers have dispatched personnel as a possible prelude to a bigger NATO deployment.  Shea said Rutte needs to hammer out the details for a potential NATO mission in the Arctic and get Trump to agree to it as a possible part of the solution. “He needs to work behind the scenes quickly but quietly to sell the idea to the US,” Shea said. – ‘Silver bullet’ -The furore over Greenland comes at a delicate time as Europe grapples with Trump’s push to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. After months of nudging, Washington finally seems to have drawn closer to Kyiv’s position — but any progress is fragile.Meanwhile NATO itself is eyeing a potentially combustible summit with Trump in Turkey this summer where allies will have to show him they’re making good on the vow to spend more.”Rutte knows that if he fails now he could get burnt and lose his capital with Trump,” a senior NATO diplomat told AFP.”He wanted to save his silver bullet for Ukraine, but maybe now will have to try to manufacture another one for Greenland.”But if Trump does eventually press ahead with his threats against Greenland, possibly even resorting to force, the NATO chief may not have an option but to intervene more forcefully.”Rutte still has a responsibility, which is to decide when he thinks it is most appropriate to chip in,” said Camille Grand, another former senior NATO official.”At the moment, he says he is not getting involved in disputes between member states. That may work for now, but at some point he risks being caught up in it”.The man himself appears to be unperturbed. “I’m thoroughly enjoying the role and the job,” he said, when an EU lawmaker asked if he feared being the last NATO secretary general.”I was not planning to quit already, but I’m sure there will be a successor someday”.

A US bipartisan congressional delegation kicked off a visit to Copenhagen on Friday to express support for Denmark and Greenland after President Donald Trump’s threats to take over the Arctic island.The 11 congressmen and women were to hold talks with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart Jens-Frederik Nielsen, among others.Their visit came two days after a meeting in Washington where Copenhagen said Denmark and the United States were in  “fundamental disagreement” over the future of Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark. An AFP reporter in Copenhagen saw a large black van leave Frederiksen’s office shortly before noon (1100 GMT) on Friday, but her office would not confirm whether the meeting had taken place.The US delegation was also due to meet with Danish members of parliament.The group arrived at the offices of the Danish employers’ association Dansk Industri around midday for a meeting with business leaders.”We are showing bipartisan solidarity with the people of this country and with Greenland. They’ve been our friends and allies for decades,”  Democratic Senator Dick Durbin told reporters.”We want them to know we appreciate that very much. And the statements being made by the president do not reflect what the American people feel,” he added.Trump has insisted the US needs strategically-located Greenland and has criticised Denmark for not doing enough to ensure its security.The US president has pursued that argument, despite Greenland — as part of Denmark — being covered by NATO’s security umbrella.In addition to Durbin, the US delegation is made up of Democratic senators Chris Coons, Peter Welch and Jeanne Shaheen, as well as Republicans Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski.Democrats from the House of Representatives in the delegation are Steny Hoyer, Gregory Meeks, Madeleine Dean, Sara Jacobs and Sarah McBride.  The group will be in Copenhagen on Friday and Saturday, before heading to the World Economic Forum in Davos. 

South Africa’s defence minister has ordered an inquiry into reports of Iran’s participation in navy exercises, apparently against the instructions of the president, the ministry said Friday.The probe comes after the United States sharply criticised the past week’s drills, which brought vessels from China, Iran, Russia and the United Arab Emirates to waters off Cape Town.Local media reported President Cyril Ramaphosa had instructed the defence minister to withdraw the three Iranian warships from the drills, which came amid the Iranian government’s deadly crackdown on protesters.It was unclear to what extent Iran took part, but images emerged of at least one Iranian vessel at sea.A defence ministry statement on social media on Tuesday listed an Iranian corvette as among the participants, but the post was later removed.Defence Minister Angie Motshekga had “clearly communicated” the president’s instruction, the defence ministry said in a statement that did not make clear the president’s order, which was also not confirmed by his office.A board of inquiry would investigate “whether the instruction of the president may have been misrepresented and/or ignored”, it said.The defence force said the China-led exercises of nations in the BRICS alliance were to “ensure the safety of shipping lanes and maritime economic activities”.The US embassy on Thursday criticised Iran’s presence as “particularly unconscionable” given the protest crackdown, which independent monitors say left thousands dead.The exercises involved nations with major diplomatic differences with the United States, at a time when Pretoria is seeking to improve its battered ties with Washington.US President Donald Trump’s administration has accused South Africa of anti-American policies and boycotted a G20 summit it hosted in November, also imposing 30-percent trade tariffs.In August, Ramaphosa’s office rebuked the defence force for allowing the country’s top general to visit Iran, where he reportedly called for cooperation in defence matters.The visit was unhelpful as South Africa managed “a very delicate exercise of resetting diplomatic relations with the United States”, a spokesman said.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke an emergency law that allows the domestic deployment of the military, after federal agents killed one person and injured another in Minnesota, sparking mass protests.Protesters have denounced the aggressive tactics of Trump’s broad-reaching immigration raids in rallies in the Midwestern city, which is a Democratic stronghold.Federal agents fired their weapons in two separate incidents, wounding a man from Venezuela Wednesday and killing an American woman last week.The Insurrection Act allows a president sidestep the Posse Comitatus Act to suppress “armed rebellion” or “domestic violence” and use the armed forces “as he considers necessary” to enforce the 19th century law.”If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of ICE, who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT,” Trump warned on Truth Social.Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz accused federal agents of waging “a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota,” in a video posted to X Wednesday night. In the short clip, Walz noted a number of violent incidents, including “breaking windows, dragging pregnant women down the street,” and the January 7 killing of 37-year-old Renee Good as examples.”We must protest loudly, urgently, but also peacefully,” Walz said, calling on Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to “end this occupation.”Walz also urged people to record any interaction they may have with ICE for future prosecution. Noem told reporters at a White House press briefing Thursday that it’s up to Trump if he decides to invoke the law. Demonstrations against ICE in Minneapolis have stretched into the night in recent days and protesters have clashed with federal agents, who have deployed pepper spray and tear gas to disperse crowds.- Shots fired -Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooting late Wednesday resulted from a struggle between an ICE agent and a man he was trying to apprehend.”During the struggle, the federal agent discharged his weapon, striking one adult male,” O’Hara told a press conference.Amid the tussle, two people emerged from a nearby residence and attacked the federal agent with a snow shovel and a broom handle, the Department of Homeland Security said, identifying the wounded man as an illegal immigrant from Venezuela.The man suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his leg and was taken to hospital, while the two others were taken into custody, officials said.The Insurrection Act was last invoked in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush at the request of the Republican governor of California, who was facing unprecedented riots in Los Angeles following the acquittal of police officers who had beaten Rodney King, a Black motorist, the previous year.Senior White House official Stephen Miller on Thursday accused Minnesota officials of “deliberately, willfully and purposefully” inciting a “violent insurrection.”White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt also lashed out at journalists, saying “media is absolutely complicit in this violence.”But concerns about the tactics used by ICE are not limited to incidents of violent street enforcement and have raised questions about inadequate training and oversight of agents.Mexican authorities said Thursday they were also seeking details about the death of one of their citizens at an ICE facility in the southern state of Georgia this week.ICE broke its record for people dying in detention in 2025 with 30 deaths, according to data released by the agency. The number of people detained in recent years has similarly increased.

Spain’s veteran singer and cultural icon Julio Iglesias on Friday rejected allegations of abuse lodged against him by two women ex-employees, in a case that has dominated headlines.”I deny having abused, coerced, or disrespected any woman. These accusations are absolutely false and deeply sadden me,” the 82-year-old wrote on his Instagram account.Iglesias, one of the most successful Latin artists of all time, is a Grammy winner with more than 300 million records sold in a career spanning decades.Two women — a domestic worker and a physiotherapist — alleged they suffered sexual and other forms of abuse while working at Iglesias’s properties in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas in 2021.Advocacy groups Women’s Link Worldwide and Amnesty International said a complaint filed with Spanish prosecutors on January 5 outlined alleged acts that could be considered “a crime of human trafficking for the purpose of forced labour” and “crimes against sexual freedom”.Iglesias subjected them to “sexual harassment, regularly checked their mobile phones, restricted their ability to leave the home where they worked, and required them to work up to 16 hours a day without days off”, according to testimony collected by the two groups.In the message posted on Instagram, Iglesias wrote: “It is with profound sadness that I respond to the accusations made by two people who previously worked for me.””I have never felt such malice, but I still have the strength to let people know the whole truth and to defend my dignity against such a serious accusation,” he said, thanking the “so many dear people” who have sent him messages of support.The allegations against the beloved crooner have sparked strong reactions in Spain, with members of the leftist government backing the complainants and demanding that an investigation establishes the truth.The head of the conservative opposition Popular Party, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, who is friends with Iglesias, told Telecinco television on Wednesday he was “very, very, very surprised” but urged against “speculating”.Iglesias’s former manager Fernan Martinez told Telecinco that he was “very affectionate” and enjoyed “physical contact” but stressed he never saw the music icon “behave aggressively”.

Hundreds of people dragged away suitcases, computer monitors, pets and furniture as they fled a suspected Cambodian cyberfraud centre, after the country’s most wanted alleged scam kingpin was arrested and deported.Boarding tuk-tuks, Lexus SUVs and tourist coaches, an exodus departed Amber Casino in the coastal city of Sihanoukville, one of the illicit trade’s most notorious hubs.”Cambodia is in upheaval,” one Chinese man told AFP. “Nowhere is safe to work anymore,” he said Thursday.Similar scenes played out at alleged scam compounds across Cambodia this week as the government said it was cracking down on the multibillion-dollar industry.But residents said many of the people working inside the tightly secured buildings moved out several days before the arrival of authorities, and an analyst dubbed it “anti-crime theatre”.From hubs across Southeast Asia, scammers lure internet users globally into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments.Initially largely targeting Chinese speakers, transnational crime groups have expanded operations into multiple languages to steal tens of billions annually from victims around the world.Those conducting the scams are sometimes willing con artists, sometimes trafficked foreign nationals who have been trapped and forced to work under threat of violence.AFP journalists visited several alleged internet scam sites in Sihanoukville, in the wake of the high-profile arrest in Cambodia and extradition to China of internationally sanctioned accused scam boss Chen Zhi.Few of those departing the casinos, hotels and other facilities were willing to speak with AFP, and none were willing to be identified due to concerns for their safety.”Our Chinese company just told us to leave straight away,” said a Bangladeshi man outside Amber Casino.”But we’ll be fine. There are plenty of other job offers,” he added.Studded with casinos and unfinished high-rises, the glitzy resort of Sihanoukville has become a cyberscam hotbed, where thousands of people involved in the black market are believed to operate cons from fortified compounds.Before Chen was indicted last year by US authorities who said his firm Prince Group was a front for a transnational cybercrime network, the Chinese-born businessman ran multiple gambling hotels in Sihanoukville.A 2025 Amnesty International report identified 22 scam locations in the coastal resort, out of a total of 53 in the country.The UN Office on Drugs and Crime estimates global losses to online scams reached up to $37 billion in 2023, and that at least 100,000 people work in the industry in Cambodia alone. – Tipped off -But the Cambodian government claims the lawless era has come to an end, with Prime Minister Hun Manet pledging on Facebook to “eliminate… all the problems related to the crime of cyber scams”.Cambodia’s anti-scam commission says it has raided 118 scam locations and arrested around 5,000 people in the last six months.Following Chen’s deportation to China, the Cambodian government has tightened the screws on some Prince Group affiliates, ordering Prince Bank into liquidation and freezing home sales at several of its luxury properties.In recent months, China has stepped up its pursuit of the scam industry, sweeping up Chen and other key figures from across Southeast Asia to try them on its own soil.But while Cambodia says it is “cracking down”, there are suspicions over the timing.A tuk-tuk driver in Sihanoukville told AFP hundreds of Chinese people left one compound this week before police arrived.”Looks like they were tipped off,” said the 42-year-old, declining to give his name.Mark Taylor, former head of a Cambodia-based anti-trafficking NGO, said the “preemptive shifting of scam centre resources”, including workers, equipment and managers, had been seen ahead of law enforcement sweeps.It was “seemingly the product of collusion”, he added, in a strategy with “dual ends” of boosting the government’s anti-crime credentials while preserving the scamming industry’s ability to survive and adapt.Amnesty has accused the Cambodian government of “deliberately ignoring” rights abuses by cybercrime gangs, which sometimes lure workers with offers of high-paying jobs before holding them against their will.AFP journalists saw several coachloads of Mandarin speakers leaving Sihanoukville on the main highway to the capital Phnom Penh.Multiple people said they “didn’t know” where they were going or what their plans were, but appeared anxious as they anticipated law enforcement closing in.Outside the Amber Casino, holding a fake designer hold-all, the Bangladeshi man fell in with the crowd, saying: “This is about survival now.”

Tokyo and Washington agreed Friday to boost joint production of defence equipment including missiles, and expand their military presence in waters southwest of mainland Japan, as China ramps up pressure on its Asian neighbour.The agreement came after Japanese defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi met Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth in Washington, where they also pledged to further cooperation on supply chains including critical minerals.Japan is embroiled in a heated diplomatic spat with China, triggered by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion in November that Japan could intervene militarily if China attacks Taiwan.China, which regards Taiwan as its own territory, reacted angrily, blocking exports to Japan of “dual-use” items with potential military applications, fuelling worries in Tokyo that Beijing could choke supplies of much-needed rare earths.As the “security environment is rapidly growing severe” in Asia, “the two ministers confirmed the Japan-US alliance remains absolutely unwavering”, the statement released by Tokyo’s defence ministry said. They agreed to further advance joint production of air-to-air missiles and surface-to-air interceptors.The allies also agreed to work on the expansion of “more sophisticated and practical joint drills in various locations including the Southwest region”, the statement said. Beefing up defence around the so-called “Southwest” region, which includes areas such as the subtropical island of Okinawa, is one of Japan’s top priorities.Okinawa, home to the vast majority of American military bases in Japan, serves as a key US outpost to monitor China, the Taiwan Strait and the Korean peninsula, with both Tokyo and Washington stressing its strategic importance.Tokyo has also been steadily increasing its military budget, including in December when the right-leaning government of Takaichi approved a record nine trillion yen in defence spending for the upcoming fiscal year.At the top of his meeting with Koizumi, Hegseth praised Japan for this effort, calling it “hard-nosed realism; practical, common-sense approach that puts both of our vital national interests together”, according to the US Department of War, recently re-branded from the Department of Defense.Their meeting was preceded by a joint morning workout session at a military gym. “The American military-style training was very tough,” Koizumi wrote on X.”But I did my best to labour my way through it, telling myself: ‘this is all for the sake of strengthening the Japan-US alliance.'”  

The United States said Thursday that it has signed a deal with Taiwan to reduce tariffs on goods from the democratic island, while increasing Taiwanese semiconductor and tech companies’ investments in America.The agreement, the US Commerce Department said, “will drive a massive reshoring of America’s semiconductor sector.”Under the deal, Washington will lower tariffs on Taiwanese goods to 15 percent, down from a 20 percent “reciprocal” rate meant to address US trade deficits and practices it deems unfair.Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai praised negotiators on Friday for “delivering a well-executed home run”.”These results underscore that the progress achieved so far has been hard-won,” Cho said.Sector-specific tariffs on Taiwanese auto parts, timber, lumber and wood products will also be capped at 15 percent, while generic pharmaceuticals and certain natural resources will face no “reciprocal” duties, the US Commerce Department added.Meanwhile, Taiwanese chip and tech businesses are set to make “new, direct investments totalling at least $250 billion” in the United States to build and expand capacity in areas like advanced semiconductors and artificial intelligence, the department said.Taiwan will also provide “credit guarantees of at least $250 billion to facilitate additional investment by Taiwanese enterprises,” the department said adding that this would support the growth of the US semiconductor supply chain.Taiwan’s government said the new tariff will not stack on top of existing duties, which had been a major concern for local industries.”Of course it’s good that the reciprocal tariff has been lowered to 15 percent — at least it puts us on par with our main competitors South Korea and Japan,” said Chris Wu, sales director for Taiwanese machine tool maker Litz Hitech Corp. But, given the company’s single-digit profit margins, “there is no way we can absorb the tariff” for US customers, he said. The department’s announcement did not mention names, but the deal has key implications for Taiwanese chipmaking titan TSMC, the world’s biggest contract maker of microchips used in everything from Apple phones to Nvidia’s cutting-edge AI hardware.In an interview with CNBC, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said TSMC has bought land and could expand in Arizona as part of the deal.”They just bought hundreds of acres adjacent to their property. Now I’m going to let them go through it with their board and give them time,” he said.TSMC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Taiwanese producers who invest in the United States will also be treated more favorably when it comes to future semiconductor duties, the Commerce Department said.Firms building new US chip capacity may import up to 2.5 times their planned capacity without paying sector-specific duties during construction. The quota lowers to 1.5 times once projects are completed.A day prior, US officials held off imposing wider chip tariffs, instead announcing a 25 percent duty on certain semiconductors meant to be shipped abroad — a key step in allowing Nvidia to sell advanced AI chips to China.Ryan Majerus, a former US trade official, told AFP that although chip tariffs are currently narrowly targeted, Washington “signaled there is certainly potential for it to grow.”Majerus, now a partner at law firm King & Spalding, added that the deal had parallels to those with other US partners. The European Union and Japan, for example, both also secured a 15-percent tariff rate.- ‘Self-sufficient’ -“The objective is to bring 40 percent of Taiwan’s entire supply chain and production, to domestically bring it into America,” Lutnick told CNBC.”We’re going to bring it all over, so we become self-sufficient in the capacity of building semiconductors,” he added.The agreement comes after months of negotiations.Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te had pledged to boost investments in the United States and increase defense spending as his government tried to lower US duties, and avoid a toll on its semiconductor chip exports.Taiwan is a powerhouse in the manufacturing of semiconductor chips, which are the lifeblood of the global economy, as well as other electronics.But US President Donald Trump previously accused Taiwan of stealing the US chip industry, and his administration had made clear it wants more of the critical technology made on American soil.Taiwan’s trade surplus in goods with the United States was around $74 billion in 2024. More than half of its exports to the United States are information and communications technology products — including semiconductors.

Michelle Sims hesitated when asked if she still backed Donald Trump one year into his presidency. “Yeah — to a certain extent,” she sighed as she eyed groceries in a Pennsylvania food bank.Sims, who does not work due to medical issues, went on to list her worries about the high cost of living and cuts to welfare programs — problems that she had hoped Trump would improve.The 50-year-old is one of many Americans whose support for Trump has waned since he took office last January, as opinion polls show a slump in the president’s approval rating.Sims, wearing a gray cardigan and a large hair clip, told AFP she had particularly wanted Trump to deliver on his promises to address affordability issues.But while she is happy to see gas prices down, “I don’t think everything was achieved.””My expectations were a little bit higher. I was hoping more would have been done by now,” said Sims.She lives in a suburb of Philadelphia in Bucks County, an area that politicians often target in US elections as voters “swing” between candidates, rather than consistently backing the same party.Trump won there in 2024 by a tiny margin — the first time since 1988 a Republican presidential candidate has taken Bucks County. But in a sign of shifting sentiment, a wave of Democratic candidates swept the county in 2025 local elections.”People just want government to work. They don’t want chaos,” Danny Ceisler, the newly elected Democratic sheriff of Bucks County, told AFP. Ceisler successfully lobbied against his officers partnering with ICE, the immigration enforcement agency leading Trump’s mass deportation drive — a key and contentious pillar of his presidency.- Satisfied, but Greenland plan ‘ridiculous’ -Analysts say that lukewarm support for Trump in the first place means some who voted for him have sat out of recent elections in Pennsylvania and other states, where Democrats have also enjoyed major electoral victories. “In 2024, his narrow winning margin was enabled by a fairly modest-sized cohort of voters in places like Bucks County who were dissatisfied with the direction of the country, particularly on the cost of living,” said Christopher Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion in Pennsylvania. “That group of voters has become disillusioned with Trump, with their hopes for a more affordable life largely unrealized and their reservations about Trump’s character and leadership only enhanced.”A Gallup poll last month showed Trump’s approval rating at 36 percent, down from 47 percent when he took office. Faced with a drop in popularity ahead of crucial 2026 midterm elections, which will decide who controls Congress, the president has returned to campaign-style rallies to engage voters. Joe Kramley, a retired Navy technician who voted for Trump in 2024 mostly due to immigration worries, said he was getting fed up with the president.”I wish he’d shut up and (just) do what he’s going to do,” Kramley, 83, told AFP in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, on a historic street lined with shops and cafes.”I’m satisfied with some of his programs. A lot of them aren’t working out. Inflation is still here,” he said, also calling Trump’s repeated remarks that he wants to take over Greenland “ridiculous.”Asked if he would vote for Trump again given the chance, Kramley said it “depends on who’s running” — but he sees no viable Democratic presidential candidate.At a diner on the outskirts of Doylestown, views were similarly mixed.”It’s not so much that I like Trump, I like the decisions he’s making and direction of the country,” said Gary Armstrong, an insurance salesman and self-described conservative. The 68-year-old said he is “very happy” with his vote for Trump “over what I see on the far left side.”

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said Thursday she “presented” her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Donald Trump, in a bid to win over the US president who had sidelined her since overthrowing Nicolas Maduro.Her “wonderful gesture of mutual respect,” as Trump called it Thursday, comes after the Republican said the award should have gone to him instead — and after he refused to back Machado following the January 3 US military operation to capture Maduro.”He deserves it, and it was a very emotional moment,” Machado later told broadcaster Fox News in an interview.Despite the gesture, Trump has backed Maduro’s vice president Delcy Rodriguez over Machado — so long as she toes Washington’s line, particularly on access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.”I presented the president of the United States the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize,” Machado told reporters outside the US capitol, where she met with lawmakers after having lunch with Trump at the White House.Machado, 58, said it was “recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”It was not immediately clear if Trump actually kept the award following the closed-door meeting.The Norwegian Nobel committee says its prizes cannot be transferred.- ‘Not afraid’ – Trump had campaigned hard to win last year’s Nobel Peace Prize for what he says are his efforts to stop eight wars.Instead it went to Machado, who appeared in Oslo last month to collect her prize — following a daring escape from Venezuela by boat — and then dedicated it to Trump.Venezuela’s opposition has argued and presented evidence that Maduro stole the 2024 election from the candidate of Machado’s party, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia — claims supported by Washington.But Trump has said that Machado does not have enough support among Venezuelans, and opted to stick with former Maduro loyalist Rodriguez.Trump and Rodriguez had their first telephone call on Wednesday and the White House said Thursday he “likes what he’s seeing” with Venezuela’s interim leaders.Rodriguez said however that Thursday her government was “not afraid” of a diplomatic clash with Washington.”We know they are very powerful. We know they are a lethal nuclear power…we are not afraid to confront them diplomatically, through political dialogue,” said Rodriguez.Rodriguez was delivering Maduro’s state of the nation address to parliament while the toppled Venezuelan leader is in a New York jail facing drug trafficking charges.By contrast Machado, who campaigned for years to end leftist Maduro’s rule, was greeted by jubilant supporters as she left the White House.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said as the lunch started that Machado was a “remarkable and brave voice for many of the people of Venezuela.”But while Leavitt said Trump was “committed to hopefully seeing elections in Venezuela one day,” she would not give a timeline.- Sixth tanker seizure -Since Maduro’s capture, Trump has said the United States will “run” Venezuela — exerting pressure through a naval blockade and threats of further attacks — but has appeared content to let Rodriguez remain in power so long as oil keeps flowing.US forces on Thursday seized a sixth oil tanker in its campaign to control the South American country’s critical fossil fuel sector.Separately, the first US-brokered sale of Venezuelan oil, worth around $500 million, has been finalized, a US official told AFP on Thursday without identifying the buyer.Rodriguez in her speech also announced plans for legal reforms to Venezuela’s oil sector — which currently limit the involvement of foreign entities — but did not give specific details.Washington has also hailed the release of dozens of political prisoners in the past week, though hundreds remain behind bars.Meanwhile the shockwaves from the lightning US raid that toppled Maduro continue to reverberate.Cuba paid tribute on Thursday to 32 soldiers killed in the operation, some of whom had been assigned to Maduro’s protection team, in a ceremony attended by revolutionary leader Raul Castro.burs-dk/sla/jgc