CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, in Caracas on Thursday to discuss cooperation between the United States and Venezuela.
Ratcliffe’s two‑hour meeting with Rodríguez, held at the direction of President Trump, focused on intelligence cooperation, economic stability, and the goal of ensuring that Venezuela is no longer a “safe haven for America’s adversaries, especially narco‑traffickers,” the official said. The discussions were aimed at building trust between the U.S. and the Venezuelan government.
transition. Trump and Rodríguez also spoke by phone on Wednesday, with both leaders describing the call as positive. Since the U.S. military operation that led to Maduro’s ouster, Washington has not called for the opposition to take power, instead signaling that Rodríguez is seen as a stabilizing interim leader capable of maintaining order during the
The visit coincided with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presenting her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump at the White House on the same day.
Monitoring of U.S. military operations in Venezuela, from Mar-a-Lago (January 3, 2026)
