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CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Venezuela’s interim leader in Caracas to discuss cooperation, a US official said on Friday, the highest-profile visit since the United States ousted the Venezuelan president. Nicholas Maduro this month.
Ratcliffe met with US President Donald Trump on Thursday to “convey the message that the United States wants an improved working relationship,” the official said.
They discussed intelligence cooperation, economic stability and the need to ensure Venezuela is no longer a “sanctuary for America’s enemies, especially drug traffickers.”
The visit took place on the same day as Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. He gave her the Nobel Peace Prize. For Trump in the White House.
Since He sent troops to arrest Maduro.Although Machado’s ally has won the 2024 election, Washington has refrained from saying that the opposition should take power.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Machado met with US President Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday. The meeting was held after Trump refused to endorse the replacement of ousted President Nicolas Maduro.
Rodríguez, who served as vice president under Maduro, assumed the interim presidency after the US military arrested Maduro and transported him to the United States to face charges on drug charges.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said Friday that the United States had killed 47 Venezuelan soldiers, including nine women, in the raid to capture and remove Maduro.
Cuba received the remains of 32 of its soldiers on Thursday. He said they were killed in war. On the morning of January 3rd. Venezuela’s interior minister said last week that 100 people had been killed in the attack, without specifying the number of soldiers.
Trump, Rodriguez spoke on the phone
Trump spoke by phone with Rodriguez on Wednesday, with both leaders describing the call as positive.
Rodriguez has previously criticized the Trump administration for “kidnapping” Maduro and called for his return to the country. However, Washington has said it is preferred as an interim leader to maintain stability.
A US official said Ratcliffe’s two-hour meeting was aimed at building trust between the US and Venezuela.
“The director has made it clear that Venezuela cannot support drug traffickers like the TDA,” the official said, referring to the Tren de Aragua criminal group.
The New York Times first reported Ratcliffe’s trip.
The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
