Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced today on social media the release of two Italians — humanitarian aid worker Alberto Trentini from Venice and Turin businessman Mario Burlo — who have been incarcerated at the same prison (El Rodeo I in Caracas) in Venezuela since November 2024.
As seen below in the video, Meloni said (translated) of the two Italians who are currently at the Italian embassy in Caracas: “I have spoken with them, and an airplane has already departed from Rome to bring them home. I wish to express, on behalf of the Italian Government, heartfelt thanks to the Authorities of Caracas, starting with President Rodriguez, for the constructive collaboration demonstrated in these last few days and to all the institutions and people who, in Italy, have worked with commitment and discretion to achieve this important result.”
[NOTE: Meloni refers to Venezuela’s Interim President Delcy Rodriguez.]
Una notizia che ci riempie di gioia. pic.twitter.com/LMpr8hb7w4
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) January 12, 2026
Several X users chided Meloni (in Italian and English) for not thanking U.S. President Donald Trump, who last week had the former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro indicted, captured and brought to the U.S. They are also responding with a social media post that Trump shared, which features him as “Acting President of Venezuela” on a fake Wikipedia page, see below.
— Esperanza 🙏🏼 (@Esperanza6929) January 12, 2026
Note: On January 3, when the U.S. military captured Maduro and his wife in Caracas, Meloni wrote, with diplomatic sensitivity to the legality of the move: “Italy, together with the main international partners, has never recognized Maduro’s self-proclaimed electoral victory, condemning the regime’s acts of repression and has always supported the Venezuelan people’s aspiration to a democratic transition. Consistent with Italy’s historic position, the Government believes that external military action is not the path to take to put an end to totalitarian regimes, but at the same time considers legitimate an intervention of a defensive nature against hybrid attacks on its own security, as in the case of state entities that fuel and favor narcotrafficking.”
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