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CIA Director John Ratcliffe met Venezuela’s interim leader in Caracas to discuss co-operation, a U.S. official said on Friday, in the most senior known visit by a U.S. official since the United States toppled Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro this month.
Ratcliffe met on Thursday with Delcy Rodríguez at the direction of U.S. President Donald Trump, “to deliver the message that the United States looks forward to an improved working relationship,” the official said.
They discussed intelligence co-operation, economic stability and the need to ensure Venezuela was no longer a “safe haven for America’s adversaries, especially narco-traffickers.”
The visit took place the same day that Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado gave her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump at the White House.
Since sending troops to seize Maduro, Washington has held back from saying the opposition should take power, despite having previously said Machado’s ally rightfully won an election in 2024.
Nobel Peace Prize winner and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Machado met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday. The meeting came after Trump refused to endorse her to succeed ousted president Nicolás Maduro.
Rodríguez, who served as vice-president under Maduro, took over the presidency on an interim basis after the U.S. military seized Maduro and flew him to the United States to stand trial for drug charges.
Venezuela’s Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino said Friday that the U.S. raid to capture and remove Maduro from power killed 47 Venezuelan soldiers, including nine women.
Cuba on Thursday received the remains of 32 of its soldiers it said were killed in combat in the morning of Jan. 3. Venezuela’s interior minister said last week 100 people were killed in the attack, without saying how many were soldiers.
Trump, Rodríguez spoke by phone
Trump spoke with Rodríguez by phone on Wednesday, with the two leaders each separately describing the call as positive.
Rodríguez has previously criticized the Trump administration for “kidnapping” Maduro and called for his return. However, Washington has said she is favourable as an interim leader to preserve stability.
The U.S. official said the two-hour Ratcliffe meeting was focused on building trust between the U.S. and Venezuela.
“The director made clear Venezuela can no longer provide support to drug traffickers like TDA,” the official said, referring to Tren de Aragua, a criminal gang.
The New York Times first reported the Ratcliffe trip.
The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
