This is the highest-level contact known between a US official and Venezuela’s interim president since Washington captured Maduro.
MIAMI, United States. – The director of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, traveled to Caracas and met with Delcy Rodríguez, the interim president of Venezuela, according to reports from Reuters and cnn based on official Washington sources.
The information matches an image that circulates on social networks in which Ratcliffe is seen greeting Rodríguez, although the journalistic sources consulted do not present that photograph as official confirmation of the meeting nor do they allow its authenticity to be independently verified.
According to Reuters, the meeting occurred “on instructions” from President Donald Trump and was intended to “convey the message that the United States looks forward to an improved working relationship,” within the framework of the new Venezuelan political scenario after the capture of Nicolás Maduro by US forces on January 3.
The conversation included intelligence cooperation, economic stability and the demand that Venezuela no longer be a “safe haven for US adversaries, especially drug traffickers,” the official added, quoted by Reuters. CNN attributed a similar formulation to the same source, noting that Ratcliffe spoke of “potential opportunities for economic collaboration” and that Venezuela cannot continue as a “safe haven” for Washington’s adversaries, “especially drug traffickers.”
The meeting would have lasted two hours, according to Reuters. The official consulted by that agency framed it as an effort to “build trust” between both countries and declared [de la CIA]: “The director made it clear that Venezuela can no longer provide support to drug traffickers like TDA [Tren de Aragua]”.
The Reuters report also ranked Ratcliffe’s trip as the highest-level contact known by a U.S. official since Washington “overthrew” Maduro this month. The New York Times It was the first media to report the displacement of the CIA director.
The visit coincided with the presence in Washington of the opposition leader Maria Corina Machadowho met with Trump and presented him with his Nobel Peace Prize medal. Machado said she was “deeply, deeply certain” that Venezuela will have “an orderly transition” towards new elections, during an appearance in Washington.
Trump has, for now, backed former Maduro allies led by Deklcy Rodríguez to govern the country, instead of pushing for the opposition to take power. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday supported Trump’s “realistic” assessment that Machado “does not currently have the necessary support” to lead the country in the short term.
