The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, expressed Washington's support for the dialogue process aimed at the political transition in Venezuela during a meeting with Dinorah Figuera, the president of the National Assembly elected in 2015, which is recognized by the U.S. government as legitimate.
The meeting, held in the Treaty Room of the State Department in Washington, marked the first formal encounter between the two leaders and focused on the dialogue process with the government led by Delcy Rodríguez.
"This effort has our support, the support of the highest levels of the U.S. Government, and I think it is important to focus on that. We wish you all the best," Rubio stated to the press at the beginning of the meeting, as reported by the EFE agency, cited by Telemundo 51.
The head of U.S. diplomacy described the process as "difficult," but expressed confidence that "it will continue to achieve results."
On their X account, they described the meeting as a "productive gathering" and noted that "tangible progress" has been made during the first two rounds of talks between the opposition and the Venezuelan interim authorities.
"Following Operation Absolute Resolution, tangible progress has been made during the first two rounds of talks with the interim authorities," he expressed on X.
"We are going to do everything possible to ensure that this process achieves what we all want: not just free and democratic elections as soon as possible, which is certainly necessary, but a democracy, a republic that can govern the country and that exists permanently," emphasized Rubio.
Figuera has been leading an opposition bloc since August that is negotiating with Chavismo as part of the transition plan promoted by Washington, whose third phase—the political one—officially began after the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3 during the so-called Operation Absolute Resolution.
The opposition figure thanked the United States for having opened "this path of hope for Venezuela" and described the dialogue as "the way and the roadmap for elections," while labeling it as "a feasible process."
He also thanked Washington for the investments in the Venezuelan oil sector made since Maduro's capture, in a context where the U.S. restored diplomatic relations with Caracas and reached an agreement for access to Venezuelan crude with Rodríguez's government.
An element of tension hovering over the process is the absence of María Corina Machado, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, from the negotiation table.
Washington chose the National Assembly of 2015 as the formal channel for dialogue, excluding Machado, who has been unable to return to Venezuela since December 2025 despite several attempts.
Their spokesperson stated in early October that the opposition leader would be willing to negotiate directly with Delcy Rodríguez if the process leads to free elections.
For the Cuban reader, the Venezuelan model has a particular resonance: Rubio, a Cuban-American from Miami, simultaneously leads the pressure on the regime in Havana.
On September 29, he stated on Fox News that "the Cuban regime has already fallen" —in the sense of functional collapse— and that the only way forward is a transition to democracy, although he warned that, unlike Venezuela, the Cuban regime "has not wanted agreements."
The capture of Maduro further exacerbated the Cuban energy crisis: Venezuela supplied about 26,500 barrels per day to the island in 2025, nearly a third of its needs, a flow that has been interrupted since January.
The next round of talks between the Venezuelan opposition and the government of Delcy Rodríguez is scheduled for October 14, and Rubio expressed on X that he hopes for "continuous progress that leads to lasting democratic change for the Venezuelan people."
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