Washington, Jan 16 (EFE).- CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Caracas this week for a rare meeting with Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, US media and officials reported on Friday.
The development is aimed at improving cooperation between Washington and Venezuela’s interim authorities.
The meeting, described by a US official to The New York Times and CNN, took place on Thursday at the direction of US President Donald Trump, who sent Ratcliffe “to convey the message that the United States expects an improvement in the working relationship.”
According to the official, discussions in Caracas covered intelligence cooperation, economic stability, and the need to ensure that Venezuela no longer serves as a “safe haven” for adversaries of the US, especially drug trafficking networks.
The visit marks the highest-level US engagement in Venezuela since the ousting of President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month, when US forces captured Maduro and transferred him to New York to face narcotics-related charges.
Ratcliffe’s trip coincided with Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado’s meeting with President Trump at the White House.
Rodríguez, who was vice president under Maduro and assumed the interim presidency after his removal, has widely been portrayed in US media as a pragmatic figure with whom Washington is willing to engage as a stabilizing force, even as skeptical voices remain over her past and role in the transition.
The White House has not immediately responded to requests for comment on the visit, and independent verification of the talks was not immediately available. EFE
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