MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Delcy Rodríguez wants to travel to Washington

María Corina Machado is also due in the US capital shortly

Venezuela's caretaker President Delcy Rodríguez is reportedly interested in traveling to the United States for talks with the Donald Trump administration regarding the following steps of her transition government. She intends to travel on Tuesday, presumably coinciding with Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado's presence, as analysts juggle with the idea of a historic three-way encounter.

 Rodríguez was sworn in as interim chief of the Bolivarian Executive following the Jan. 3 capture in Operation Absolute Resolve by US Special Forces of former dictator Nicolás Maduro Moros and his wife Cilia Flores to stand trial in New York.

In Caracas, Foreign Minister Yván Gil said an “exploratory diplomatic process” had been triggered to fathom the feasibility of such a mission. “Bolivarian Diplomacy of Peace is the legitimate path for the defense of sovereignty and the restoration of international law.”

Trump confirmed earlier this week that Machado was due in Washington despite having been sidelined from any active role in the Venezuelan transition for lacking the necessary on-site strength.

“I understand she will be coming sometime next week. I look forward to greeting her,” Trump said. “She is a very nice person.” Machado has even offered to split her Nobel Prize with Trump, who could barely hide how much he coveted it.

In the meantime, a US delegation led by Chargé d’Affaires John T. McNamara arrived in Caracas this week to conduct a technical assessment of the US Embassy in the municipality of Baruta. The building has been shuttered since 2019. A small team is currently evaluating the Baruta compound for a “phased resumption of operations.” In response, Caracas announced it would send its own delegation “in the near future” for similar purposes.

Despite the momentum, Rodríguez remains a sanctioned official whose entry requires a special waiver from the US Treasury Department. “The process is in its initial stages and subject to multiple reviews,” a US government source told ABC. “The decision considers both political factors and the internal impact of authorizing a sanctioned official’s entry.”