Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, has moved to consolidate her government and engaged in high-level talks with a senior US diplomat as both sides seek to define what a post-Maduro transition might look like.
Rodriguez appointed several key cabinet members on Monday and met in Caracas with Laura Dogu, the United States’ charge d’affaires in Venezuela, to discuss Washington’s vision for “stabilisation, economic recovery, reconciliation and transition,” Dogu said in a post on X after the meeting. It was not immediately clear what the term “transition” will mean in practice or how it would be implemented across Venezuela’s political and economic institutions.
Maduro had led Venezuela since 2013 until US forces captured him in a military operation in early January. Much of his government apparatus, however, remains in place, and Rodriguez’s leadership has so far involved both diplomatic engagement and internal political reshuffling.
Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said after the meeting that the focus going forward would be on “addressing the differences and historical controversies between the United States and Venezuela” and on working with a shared agenda that includes energy, trade and political cooperation.
As part of her government buildup, Rodriguez appointed former foreign minister Felix Plasencia as Venezuela’s new diplomatic representative to the United States, a move that signals a possible renewal of bilateral engagement after relations were severed in 2019. Rodriguez also named Daniella Cabello, daughter of powerful interior minister Diosdado Cabello, as tourism minister — underscoring the continued influence of established political figures in the country’s leadership.
Plasencia’s expected arrival in Washington is being seen by analysts as a milestone in efforts to accelerate diplomatic and political cooperation between the two governments, which have been estranged for years amid disputes over elections, governance and human rights.
The talks come against a backdrop of broader changes in Venezuelan politics. Rodriguez, previously vice-president under Maduro, assumed the interim presidency after his ouster and has since made significant changes in the senior ranks of the military and government.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she was open to meeting with Rodriguez to discuss a timeline for transition, even as she criticised the interim government’s composition. “If it’s necessary to exchange ideas in a meeting to define a transition timeline, it will happen,” she said, though she described the interim administration as effectively a continuation of entrenched political interests.
The renewed diplomatic engagement is part of a wider, evolving relationship between Venezuela and the United States following the dramatic removal of Maduro. Officials on both sides have signalled a desire to address long-standing disputes and promote economic stability, though significant challenges remain before a comprehensive transition can be defined and agreed upon.
