The White House assured this Thursday that the government of Venezuela, led by interim president Delcy Rodríguez, has met “all the demands and requests” made by the United States following the capture of Nicolás Maduro at the beginning of January.
“They have been extremely cooperative. So far, they have met all the demands and requests of the United States and the president. And I believe everyone has been able to verify that,” stated the White House spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, during a press conference in Washington that coincided with the visit of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
Leavitt highlighted the energy agreement signed between both countries, valued at 500 million dollars, under which Washington will sell up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude and manage the revenues before transferring them to the South American country.
"The president is pleased with what he sees and hopes that this cooperation will continue," he stated.
The official added that Trump "holds out hope that there will be elections in Venezuela one day", although she avoided providing a specific date: "I don't have an updated calendar for you today."
The spokesperson's statements come after the first direct conversation between Trump and Rodríguez, in which they discussed issues related to oil, minerals, trade, and security.
According to official sources, the president described the interim Venezuelan president as a "fantastic person."
The Republican also reiterated that he does not plan to deploy troops in Venezuela, “if Delcy Rodríguez does what we want,” referring to the fulfillment of cooperation and stability commitments in the region.
The press conference coincided with the first meeting between Trump and the opposition leader María Corina Machado, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2025, whom the president welcomed at the White House shortly before the statements from his press spokesperson.
Although Trump described the meeting as "positive," his administration maintains the stance that Machado "does not have the necessary support within the country" to lead the first stage of the transition, Leavitt emphasized.
For the moment, Washington supports the provisional government led by Rodríguez, who was sworn in as acting president following Maduro's detention by U.S. forces.
In Leavitt's words, "cooperation with Venezuela is moving in the right direction and reflects the new times in the hemisphere"; however, from Caracas, the discourse is ambiguous in that regard, and the Chavista regime often denies Washington's statements.
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