In a significant diplomatic development, CIA Director John Ratcliffe conducted a high-level meeting with Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez in Caracas, marking the most senior Trump administration engagement since the extraordinary U.S. military operation that captured former leader Nicolás Maduro. The two-hour discussion on Thursday represented a strategic effort to reshape bilateral relations between the historically adversarial nations.
The previously undisclosed meeting, confirmed by U.S. officials speaking on condition of anonymity, was personally directed by President Donald Trump as a demonstration of Washington’s willingness to forge improved ties with Venezuela’s current leadership. The diplomatic overture occurred concurrently with opposition figure María Corina Machado’s White House visit, where she presented her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump—an event that highlighted the administration’s complex balancing act with Venezuelan political factions.
Ratcliffe’s delegation, which included a select team of American officials, focused discussions on potential economic cooperation frameworks and delivered a firm warning regarding Venezuela’s tolerance of U.S. adversaries. The CIA director emphasized that Caracas must prevent the resurgence of drug trafficking networks and other anti-American elements within its borders. This diplomatic mission builds upon the CIA’s instrumental role in providing intelligence support for Maduro’s capture and previous operations targeting cartel infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Acting President Rodríguez used her inaugural state of the union address to advocate for liberalizing Venezuela’s state-controlled oil industry, seeking increased foreign investment following the Trump administration’s commitment to oversee the nation’s crude oil sales. This policy shift suggests potential alignment with U.S. economic interests despite previous tensions.