Washington calls for phased approach to Venezuelan elections

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Oliver Blanco held discussions on Monday regarding the nation’s political trajectory. This meeting occurred approximately one year after US forces apprehended former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas and transported him to the United States to face charges related to drug trafficking and other offenses.

The State Department released a statement indicating that Washington reiterated President Donald Trump’s “three-phase plan for Venezuela: stabilization, economic recovery and political reconciliation, and democratic transition.”

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado recently returned to her country, expressing gratitude to President Trump and Secretary Rubio for their support. Machado, who presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize in 2025, stated her intention to organize a movement in preparation for upcoming elections. She noted that Rubio has outlined a timeline leading to presidential elections in 2027.

Machado’s activities coincide with a Trump administration pursuing oil deals with the interim government of President Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s former vice president. Rodriguez, who assumed leadership following Maduro’s arrest, recently affirmed that elections will take place in Venezuela, though she did not provide a specific date.

In September, the Trump administration announced an agreement granting Washington a share in roughly 20% of Venezuela’s oil resources. This agreement involves a joint venture with North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), a Venezuelan company owned by Alejandro Betancourt, the second-largest private oil operator in the country after Chevron. Under the agreement, Caracas is granting the company 100-year rights to 17 oilfields containing proven reserves of 65 billion barrels. The Pentagon holds a 35% stake in NABEP, and the US is guaranteed the right to purchase 20% of its oil production at cost.

Machado voiced concerns about the transparency of the oil agreement with the US, stating she had not received communication from President Rodriguez or Washington and that the agreement lacked the transparency desired by Venezuelan society.