Overview
- Two strong earthquakes on June 24 produced heavy losses across Venezuela with authorities and U.N. agencies reporting thousands of casualties, tens of thousands affected, and an estimated US$6.7 billion in damage.
- María Corina Machado, the exiled 2025 Nobel laureate, said she will return soon to comfort and help survivors and has publicly pressed to travel back to Venezuela.
- Machado asked U.S. officials for help to facilitate a return and reportedly explored a private-route via Curaçao, but U.S. officials warned they would not support the plan and she abandoned the attempt.
- Anonymous U.S. officials told reporters they viewed an immediate return as inopportune and President Trump has signaled short-term backing for Delcy Rodríguez as the working interim authority.
- The U.S. decision and Machado’s stalled return create immediate questions about security, humanitarian access, and political legitimacy for relief efforts, and both international aid coordination and Machado’s next moves will shape the coming days.