U.S. releases Maduro ally in exchange for 10 American prisoners in Venezuela

• Leonard escaped house arrest in San Diego in 2022 after cutting his ankle monitoring bracelet. Under the deal announced Wednesday, he was arrested and returned from Venezuela to the U.S., President Biden said in a statement.

Details: In exchange for the prisoner releases and Leonard, the U.S. released Colombian businessman Alex Saab, who was accused of stealing $350 million as part of a bribe scheme against the Venezuelan government.

• The U.S. has also accused him of being a financial fixer for Maduro.
• Saab was arrested on money laundering charges in Cape Verde in 2020 while he was on his way to negotiate an oil deal with Iran as a representative of Maduro's government.
• In response to Saab's extradition to the U.S. in 2021, Venezuela's government called off political negotiations with opposition officials and placed six U.S. oil executives under house arrest.

The Americans among those released include six designated by the Department of State as being wrongfully detained, including three people accused of entering Venezuela illegally from Colombia.

• As of Wednesday, all Americans considered wrongfully detained in Venezuela have been released, per a senior U.S. official.
• The Biden administration did not release the names of all Americans freed "out of consideration for their privacy."
• Maduro's government also agreed to release 21 political prisoners belonging to Venezuela's opposition movement.
• It includes Roberto Abdul, who was recently arrested and accused of treason for helping organize a primary that elected María Corina Machado as the opposition's presidential nominee.

What they're saying: While celebrating the releases, Biden noted that many other Americans remain wrongfully detained in other parts of the world.

• He specifically pointed to Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan, who are being held by Russia on charges the U.S. has said are false.
• "We will not stop working until we bring them all home," Biden said.

• Biden praised Maduro's government for agreeing to an electoral roadmap, though he added that his administration would ensure that it meets its commitments.
• Biden also warned Americans against traveling to Venezuela over fears of additional wrongful detentions.

State of play: The release comes amid recent attempts by the Biden administration to improve relations with Caracas after a pressure campaign by the Trump administration failed to topple Maduro.

• The Biden administration eased sanctions on Venezuela's oil and gas sector after Maduro's regime agreed with the U.S.-backed opposition to a roadmap to presidential elections in 2024.
• Last year, U.S. agreed to release two relatives of Maduro in exchange for seven Americans who the U.S. said were wrongfully detained.

The big picture: The swap will occur against the backdrop of rising tensions between Venezuela and neighboring Guyana.

• Venezuelans last month voted to establish a new state in a disputed, oil-rich territory long ruled by Guyana.
• The referendum was seen as a major escalation of the century-long dispute over the Essequibo territory and the Venezuelan government's first steps in taking it over.

Go deeper ... Putin: "Dialogue" is underway to free wrongfully detained Americans

Editor's note: This story was updated with a statement from the White House.