WASHINGTON, Jan 16 — The CIA director held talks in Caracas with Venezuela’s acting president Thursday, as the country’s opposition leader prepared to detail her White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, signaling a rapid recalibration of U.S. policy toward the South American nation following a military intervention earlier this month.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, marking the highest-level known contact since U.S. forces captured socialist President Nicolás Maduro and his wife on January 3. The same day, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado met with Trump in Washington, presenting him with her Nobel Peace Prize medal.
Who is Navigating the New U.S.-Venezuela Relationship?
The sudden diplomatic activity involves key figures from the previously adversarial U.S. and Venezuelan governments. On one track, CIA Director Ratcliffe engaged with Maduro’s successor, Delcy Rodríguez. On a parallel track, opposition figure María Corina Machado is engaging with the Trump administration. This two-pronged approach suggests the U.S. is simultaneously establishing a working relationship with the current Caracas leadership while maintaining its traditional alliance with the democratic opposition.
What Does the High-Level CIA Meeting Signal?
The meeting between Ratcliffe and Rodríguez, held at Trump’s direction, aimed to convey a U.S. desire for an improved working relationship, according to a U.S. official. Their discussions focused on three key areas:
- Intelligence cooperation
- Economic stability
- Ensuring Venezuela does not remain a safe haven for narcotics traffickers and other U.S. adversaries
This dialogue represents a stark pivot from the January 3 attack, moving toward potential operational engagement between the two governments.
Why Was the Opposition Leader’s White House Visit Significant?
Machado’s visit to the Oval Office and her gift of the Nobel medal provided a powerful symbolic moment. Trump, who has publicly coveted the prize, thanked her warmly on social media, calling it “a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.” Machado described the meeting as “excellent.” Her subsequent briefing at the conservative Heritage Foundation on Friday is expected to outline the opposition’s role in the new political landscape shaped by Maduro’s capture.
How Did Venezuela’s Acting Leader Respond?
In Caracas, Delcy Rodríguez delivered her first State of the Union address Thursday, implicitly criticizing Machado’s outreach. Without naming her opponent directly, Rodríguez declared that any visit she made to Washington would be conducted “with my head held high, walking, not on my knees,” asserting a posture of sovereignty amid the diplomatic shifts.
