The United States reiterated its three‑phase strategy for Venezuela in a meeting between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Foreign Minister Oliver Blanco that took place in Washington on Monday. The plan, which calls for stabilization, economic recovery, political reconciliation and a democratic transition marked by presidential elections in 2027, follows the U.S. extradition of former President Nicolás Maduro, who was taken from Caracas nearly a year earlier.
Blanco was not interviewed after the meeting, but a State Department readout confirmed that the U.S. reaffirmed President Donald Trump’s earlier roadmap for the country’s political future. The readout stated that Washington is urging Caracas to “continue on a phased plan of economic recovery and political reconciliation before embarking on democratic elections.”
Meanwhile, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado returned to the country after a brief exile. Machado told reporters that “Rubio has set out a sequence of events aimed at moving toward a democratic transition that makes clear the holding of presidential elections in 2027.”
“Rubio has set out a sequence of events aimed at moving toward a democratic transition that makes clear the holding of presidential elections in 2027,” she said.
In addition to the political dialogue, the Trump administration has struck a new oil deal with Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez. The deal creates a joint venture with North American Blue Energy Partners, a company owned by Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt. Caracas will give the firm 100‑year rights over 17 oilfields with proven reserves of 65 billion barrels. The Pentagon will hold a 35 percent stake in the venture, and the United States will secure the right to purchase 20 percent of its oil output at cost.
These developments combine a diplomatic push for a gradual democratic transition with commercial agreements that embed the United States deeper into Venezuela’s oil sector. No further statements have been released by either side, and the U.S. has not yet confirmed any timetable beyond the 2027 election goal as outlined in the readout.
