The United States has pressed Venezuela to adhere to a structured, multi-phase roadmap focused on stabilization, economic recovery, and political reconciliation before holding national elections.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined the gradual approach during a meeting on Venezuela’s political future with Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs Oliver Blanco at the State Department in Washington, DC. The diplomatic engagement comes nearly a year after U.S. forces removed former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from Caracas to face drug trafficking and related charges in the United States.
Neither Rubio nor Blanco addressed reporters following their Monday meeting. However, the State Department issued a formal readout reaffirming President Donald Trump’s three-phase strategy for the South American nation, which prioritizes initial stabilization before economic rebuilding, political reconciliation, and an eventual democratic transition.
The diplomatic push intersects with shifting political dynamics inside Venezuela and complex energy agreements between Washington and the interim government led by President Delcy Rodriguez, who previously served as Maduro’s vice president.
Last week, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado returned to her home country after a period abroad. Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who presented her medal to Trump in 2025, expressed gratitude to the U.S. president and Rubio for their backing. She stated that her return was aimed at organizing a political movement in preparation for upcoming electoral contests.
Rubio has outlined a deliberate sequence of events designed to guide the country toward a democratic transition, establishing a clear pathway for presidential elections in 2027, according to Machado.
Machado’s domestic political campaign unfolds as the Trump administration pursues major energy arrangements with the interim administration in Caracas. In September, Washington announced an agreement securing a stake in roughly one-fifth of Venezuela’s oil reserves through a joint venture with North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), a private oil operator owned by Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt that ranks second only to Chevron in local operations.
Under the terms described by the Trump administration, Caracas has granted the firm 100-year rights across 17 oilfields holding proven reserves of 65 billion barrels. The arrangement grants the Pentagon a 35 percent stake in NABEP while guaranteeing the United States the right to purchase 20 percent of its petroleum output at cost.
Despite the cooperation on energy supplies, political tensions remain evident regarding transparency. Shortly before Machado’s remarks, Rodriguez assured the public that elections would take place in Venezuela with international observers present, though she stopped short of specifying a calendar date.
Addressing reporters about whether she had communicated with the interim leadership, Machado stated that she had received no messages from Rodriguez or from Washington. She also voiced reservations about the bilateral petroleum pact.
This agreement does not reflect the levels of transparency that Venezuelan society wants, Machado said.
