Particle.news
Download on the App Store
6 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

Trump Urges Machado to Delay Return as U.S.-Backed Transition in Venezuela Advances

U.S. recognition of Delcy Rodríguez restores ties under safeguards to steer a phased transition.

Supporters of Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gather outside the municipal palace during a ceremony in which she receives the keys to the city in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures during a ceremony in which she receives the keys to the city in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Thousands of people packed the streets of Chile's capital Santiago to here Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado deliver a speech urging her compatriots to return home from exile
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado greets supporters from the balcony of the city hall after receiving the key to the city in Santiago on March 12, 2026. Machado travelled to Chile to attend Chile's President Jose Antonio Kast's inauguration. (Photo by RODRIGO ARANGUA / AFP via Getty Images)

Overview

  • President Donald Trump advised opposition leader María Corina Machado not to return to Venezuela yet, citing volatile security conditions, according to reports of their White House meeting.
  • Addressing thousands in Santiago, Machado urged Venezuelan exiles in Chile to prepare to go home and said she aims to return in a few weeks.
  • A March 10 letter from Ambassador Michael G. Kozak formally recognized Delcy Rodríguez as Venezuela’s acting president and restarted diplomatic and consular relations.
  • The U.S. recognition grants Rodríguez authority to act before U.S. courts and international bodies, with financial safeguards and continued oversight reportedly including use of IEEPA.
  • Venezuela remains under interim leadership by Rodríguez after Nicolás Maduro’s January capture, while some U.S. politicians forecast elections within a year.