US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Venezuelan Foreign Minister Oliver Blanco at the State Department on Monday and discussed institutional reforms meant to lay groundwork for free and fair elections, the State Department said. The US Treasury Department said Blanco also met Treasury chief Scott Bessent, who discussed raising energy production and drawing investment into Venezuela.
Venezuela's interim government has signed oil and gas deals with foreign companies under US support, and the Treasury Department said Bessent used the meeting with Blanco to press for more energy production and investment.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Oliver Blanco at the State Department on Monday about reforms that lay the groundwork for future free and fair elections in Venezuela, the State Department said in a statement.
The department said the two discussed progress in the Venezuelan-led reconciliation talks, including institutional reforms that lay the groundwork for free, fair and credible elections. Rubio said last week that Venezuela's electoral infrastructure was designed to rig elections and must be quickly replaced before a valid election can be held.
The US Treasury Department said on Monday that Blanco also met Treasury chief Scott Bessent, who discussed boosting energy production and getting investments into Venezuela. Rodriguez's interim government has signed deals with a variety of companies interested in oil and gas with support from Washington.
The meeting follows a US military raid in early January that Trump ordered, which led to the seizure of ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, who were subsequently brought to New York to face trial. Trump has since praised Maduro's former vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, who became interim president and began governing the country under US oversight.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said last week that Washington has suggested the country hold presidential elections next year. The Trump administration supports negotiations between the Rodriguez government and opposition groups, which do not include Machado's Vente Venezuela movement, on overhauling Venezuela's electoral council and top court before the next elections.
The UN human rights office said in January that US intervention in Venezuela violated international law, while human rights advocates say Trump's focus on exploiting Venezuelan oil echoes an imperialist approach.
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