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The White House avoided giving specific dates regarding the elections in Venezuela this Thursday, while stating that the Government of Venezuela, led by Delcy Rodríguez, has met “all the demands and requests” put forth by the United States and President Donald Trump since the capture of Nicolás Maduro in early January.
“They have been extremely cooperative. So far, they have met all the demands and requests from the United States and the president. And I believe everyone has been able to verify this,” stated the White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, during a conference in Washington.
Leavitt highlighted the energy agreement reached between Washington and Caracas, valued at 500 million dollars, which will allow the United States to trade up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil and manage the revenues before transferring them to the South American country.
“The president is satisfied with what he sees and hopes that this cooperation will continue,” declared the spokesperson, who added that Trump remains hopeful that “one day there will be elections in Venezuela.”
When asked for an estimated date for those elections, Leavitt avoided providing details: “The president is committed to the hope that one day there will be elections in Venezuela. But today, I do not have an updated timeline for you.”
The spokesperson's statements came one day after Trump and Rodríguez held their first direct phone conversation, focused on issues of oil, minerals, trade, and bilateral security.
After that exchange, the president described the interim Venezuelan president as a "fantastic person," highlighting her willingness to cooperate with Washington in the country's stabilization process.
The press conference by Leavitt coincided today with the meeting at the White House between Trump and the Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, María Corina Machado.
The spokesperson confirmed that the president "was looking forward to" the meeting, although she reiterated that his administration believes Machado "does not have sufficient support within the country" to lead the initial stage of the transition.
For the moment, the White House continues to support the provisional government led by Delcy Rodríguez, who took an oath as acting president of Venezuela following Maduro's capture by U.S. forces on January 3.
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