In a significant diplomatic development, the head of U.S. military operations in Latin America conducted an extended meeting with Venezuelan leadership in Caracas on Wednesday. Marine General Francis Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command, engaged in hours of discussions with Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez alongside key cabinet members including Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.
The high-level engagement represents the latest in a series of diplomatic contacts between the two nations following the dramatic capture of former President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces weeks earlier. Maduro currently faces drug trafficking charges in the United States after being apprehended in a surprise operation within the Venezuelan capital.
According to official statements from Rodríguez’s administration published on social media platform X, both nations agreed to establish a bilateral cooperation framework targeting regional security challenges. The proposed agenda specifically addresses combating illicit drug trafficking, terrorism prevention, and migration management throughout the region. The Venezuelan government emphasized that diplomacy remains the preferred mechanism for resolving differences and addressing mutual concerns.
General Donovan was accompanied by Laura Dogu, the highest-ranking U.S. diplomat currently stationed in Venezuela, alongside Joseph Humire, acting assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and the Americas. U.S. Southern Command confirmed that discussions centered on hemispheric security considerations and implementation strategies for President Donald Trump’s phased approach toward Venezuela.
This meeting continues a pattern of elevated diplomatic engagement, following previous visits by CIA Director John Ratcliffe shortly after Maduro’s removal and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s recent assessment of Venezuela’s oil infrastructure.