US urges Venezuela to follow phased plan for democratic transition

This comes as leading opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, returns to Venezuela and hints at criticism of Trump administration.Published On 3 Nov 20263 Nov 2026The United States has urged Venezuela to continue on a phased plan of economic recovery and political reconciliation before embarking on democratic elections.Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the gradual plan during a meeting on the country’s political future with Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs Oliver Blanco on Monday. The meeting comes nearly a year after US forces abducted former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from Caracas and brought him to the US to face drug trafficking and other charges.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trump touts Venezuelan oil at Texas rally ahead of US midtermslist 2 of 3Venezuela’s Machado says she hasn’t spoken to Trump since Octoberlist 3 of 3Venezuela’s Machado lauds Trump for ‘freedom’, urges 2027 electionsend of listNeither Rubio nor Blanco spoke to the media after the meeting, but in a readout. The State Department said in a readout that Washington had reaffirmed President Donald Trump’s “three-phase plan for Venezuela: stabilization, economic recovery and...