Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, thanked US President Donald Trump for pursuing diplomatic relations and announced that Venezuela will hold elections, but stopped short of setting a date for the vote.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Rodríguez said: “In Venezuela there will be elections. In that direction, we have initiated a political dialogue.” She added that the Venezuelan people would determine “the right moment” for the elections, without providing a timetable.
Her appearance at the UN marked a sharp change from her previous address to the General Assembly in 2019, when she denounced the United States and praised Nicolás Maduro. This time, Rodríguez thanked Trump “for his willingness to take the path of diplomatic relations and cooperation”. Her speech lasted less than 20 minutes and focused largely on peace, rejection of violence, respect for nature and energy security.
The announcement came after Rodríguez met Trump at the Lotte New York Palace hotel in New York on Tuesday. The meeting formed part of a broader rapprochement between Caracas and Washington under an agreement that, according to the source, gives the United States 20% of Venezuela’s oil reserves. Rodríguez described the agreement as one of the most important ever reached and declared: “Today Venezuela is reborn.”
The shift has taken place under circumstances radically different from those of 2019. Maduro, whom Rodríguez praised during her earlier UN appearance, is now imprisoned in Brooklyn, about 14 kilometres from the UN headquarters. He was captured by the US military in Caracas on 3 January and is awaiting trial alongside his wife, Cilia Flores, on narcotics trafficking and other charges. Rodríguez did not mention Maduro during her speech.
The developments have also placed opposition leader María Corina Machado in a difficult position. Machado had viewed the US military operation that ended Maduro’s rule in January as an opportunity to return to Venezuela after years in exile. But she has since been unable to enter the country. On Tuesday, she made a third attempt within 24 hours to travel from Panama to Venezuela, by sea and air, without success.
Her international-relations adviser, Pedro Urruchurtu, said on X that the three latest attempts brought the total to seven in recent weeks. “They do not let her return to her own country,” he wrote. Opposition figures inside Venezuela have also condemned the restrictions on Machado.
According to Axios, Trump pressed Rodríguez during their Tuesday meeting to call Venezuelans to the polls. The report, based on White House sources, said Trump told her: “In the end, you are going to have to call elections.” The account has not been confirmed by either participant. Rodríguez continues to describe herself as a Chavista.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that Washington’s ultimate objective was “free and fair elections”, but argued that Venezuela’s economy must first be stabilised. “If there is a social collapse or an economic crisis in Venezuela, not only are the elections endangered, but also the survival of democracy in the country,” Rubio said. He added that Washington wanted “a stable democracy with a functioning economy”.
For Rodríguez, the change is striking from her earlier position. In 2019 she told the UN: “I come on behalf of the only Venezuela, the dignified Venezuela, the brave one, the one that does not kneel before any imperial power.” Seven years later, she returned to the same forum to thank Trump for choosing diplomacy and cooperation.
