Washington DC - The US on Thursday eased a warning for Americans not to travel to Venezuela, two and a half months after Washington deposed leftist president Nicolás Maduro.

The State Department said that Americans should still "reconsider travel" to the South American country, but drops its warning against any visits.

The new advisory no longer warns of the risk of wrongful detention or unrest in Venezuela, but continues to tell Americans to be cautious about the risks of crime, kidnappings and terrorism, as well as the country's poor health infrastructure.

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The US long had a fraught relationship with Maduro, a leftist firebrand.

US forces carried out a deadly raid on January 3 in which they snatched Maduro and brought him to New York to face US charges of drug trafficking, which he denies.

His vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, now serves as interim president and has largely cooperated with US President Donald Trump, who has threatened her if she does not comply with his priorities, including assisting US oil companies.

The US earlier this month restored diplomatic relations with Venezuela, where the US embassy had been shuttered in 2019.