PARANA, Argentina (Reuters) - Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, on Wednesday called a prisoner swap between the United States and Cuba a "courageous" gesture by U.S. President Barack Obama and hailed it a victory for the Caribbean island.

"You have to recognize the gesture of Barack Obama, a gesture that is courageous and necessary," Maduro told leaders of the South American trade block Mercosur at a summit in the Argentine city of Parana.

(Reporting by Hugh Bronstein; Editing by Richard Lough and Meredith Mazzilli)