CIA Director John Ratcliffe held talks with Venezuela’s interim leader in Caracas to discuss collaboration, a U.S. official confirmed on Friday, marking the highest-profile visit by a U.S. official since the U.S. ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.
Ratcliffe’s meeting with Delcy Rodríguez on Thursday was at the behest of U.S. President Donald Trump, aiming to convey the message that the U.S. is eager for an enhanced working relationship. The discussions revolved around intelligence sharing, economic stability, and the imperative to ensure that Venezuela ceases to be a sanctuary for America’s foes, particularly drug traffickers.
Interestingly, the encounter coincided with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presenting her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump at the White House on the same day. Despite deploying troops to remove Maduro, the U.S. has refrained from explicitly endorsing the opposition’s assumption of power, despite earlier indicating that Machado’s associate rightfully won an election in 2024.
Rodríguez, who previously served as Maduro’s vice-president, assumed the interim presidency after Maduro was apprehended by the U.S. military and extradited to the U.S. to face drug-related charges. Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino disclosed on Friday that the U.S. operation to apprehend and depose Maduro led to the deaths of 47 Venezuelan soldiers, including nine women.
On a related note, Cuba received the remains of 32 of its soldiers purportedly killed in battle on January 3. Venezuela’s interior minister stated last week that around 100 individuals perished in the assault, without specifying the number of military casualties.
President Trump and Rodríguez engaged in a phone conversation on Wednesday, both characterizing the exchange as positive. Despite Rodríguez’s prior condemnation of the U.S. for Maduro’s detainment, Washington views her favorably as an interim leader to maintain stability.
The U.S. official emphasized that Ratcliffe’s two-hour meeting was centered on fostering trust between the U.S. and Venezuela. The official highlighted Ratcliffe’s message that Venezuela must no longer assist criminal organizations like Tren de Aragua in drug trafficking.
The Ratcliffe visit was initially reported by The New York Times. The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.