During a meeting with executives from international oil companies, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed approaches with the interim government of Delcy Rodríguez. Image: Screenshot from the White House.
Guacamaya, January 9, 2026. Just six days after the historic operation on Saturday, January 3, in which special forces extracted Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from the country, the United States and Venezuela have begun a swift and diligent diplomatic dialogue. Both parties confirm formal approaches, with delegations in Caracas and Washington to address a possible recovery of relations severed since 2019.
The U.S. government confirmed that it sent delegations to Venezuela with the intention of reopening the American embassy, closed for about six years. These actions came after President Donald Trump stated last Sunday—one day after the mission that captured Maduro—that Washington was already considering reopening the diplomatic headquarters.
“On January 9, U.S. diplomatic and security personnel from the United States Venezuela Affairs Unit (VAU), including Chargé d’Affaires John T. McNamara, traveled to Caracas to conduct an initial assessment with a view to a possible gradual resumption of operations,” a State Department official explained to EFE.
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government, led by interim president Delcy Rodríguez, confirmed through a statement what it called the beginning of an “exploratory diplomatic process” with the U.S., aimed at “restoring diplomatic missions in both countries.” It specified that this would be carried out to address the consequences of the “aggression.”
“In this context, a delegation of diplomatic officials from the U.S. State Department arrives in the country to carry out technical and logistical evaluations inherent to diplomatic functions. Likewise, a delegation of Venezuelan diplomats will be sent to the United States to carry out the corresponding tasks,” the document states.
Members of Both Delegations
John McNamara is so far the only confirmed envoy from the United States. He is the current chargé d’affaires for Venezuela, a U.S. Army veteran with a degree from West Point and a master’s from the Command and General Staff College. He has served in Bogotá as interim chargé d’affaires since February 2025 and participated in peace negotiations with the FARC.
On the Venezuelan side, the delegation is headed by Félix Plasencia, current ambassador to the United Kingdom and permanent representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), as well as Ramón Orlando Maniglia, ambassador to Germany, according to information shared by the portal Bitácora Económica.
A source consulted by Guacamaya confirmed the presence of both diplomatic representatives in the Venezuelan delegation and added that the mission also includes Andrea Corao, Deputy Minister for Europe and North America, and Raúl Li Causi, Deputy Minister for the Caribbean, who is also Chairman of the Executive Board of Banco del Alba and President of PDV Caribe.
Rumors of Travel and a Possible María Corina–Delcy Meeting in Washington
On the other hand, U.S. President Donald Trump reported Thursday night in an interview with Fox News that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado plans to travel to Washington, D.C. next week.
“I understand she will come, and I hope to greet her,” he said during the televised conversation.
At the same time, according to ABC, Delcy Rodríguez requested authorization to travel to Washington, D.C. next Tuesday to seek political meetings and a possible visit to the White House. The request would involve entry into the United States on a diplomatic flight from Venezuela, as well as a specific license or temporary exemption from the Treasury Department, since she is sanctioned.
However, Venezuela’s Minister of Communication and Culture, Freddy Ñáñez, declared via Instagram that:
“It is not planned for interim president Delcy Rodríguez to make any trip abroad soon. As a government, we are focused on the domestic agenda to guarantee our people their right to peace and stability.”
In the midst of a meeting with oil executives to discuss the future of Venezuelan crude commercialization, Trump assured that he has scheduled a meeting with “various leaders of the Venezuelan government,” a meeting he described as “very close” and already in the process of being organized. When asked about Rodríguez’s request, he confirmed that a dialogue is being prepared.
These reports have sparked speculation about a possible encounter between Machado and Rodríguez in the U.S. capital.
