Overview
- Vatican officials confirmed a private audience with Machado, whose team said she asked the Pope to intercede for political prisoners and urged a swift democratic transition while affirming Edmundo González Urrutia’s legitimacy.
- U.S. officials said President Trump will host Machado at the White House on Thursday, following the U.S. operation that led to Nicolás Maduro’s capture and transfer to New York on federal narcotrafficking charges.
- Delcy Rodríguez functions as interim authority in Caracas, with Washington maintaining contacts and Trump signaling he could also meet her, according to public remarks and reports.
- Claims of prisoner releases conflict: Rodríguez’s government announced 116 freed, but the NGO Foro Penal reported 17 releases and lists 803 political detainees; Italy confirmed two nationals were freed overnight in Caracas.
- The Holy See has been closely involved, with The Washington Post reporting it explored Russian asylum for Maduro before his arrest; Machado’s diplomacy follows her clandestine December exit to attend the Nobel ceremony in Oslo.