US Remains Open to Talks with Venezuela After Maduro Announces Meeting, Reports Reuters

By Daphne Psaledakis and Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON – The Biden administration remains willing to engage in discussions with the Venezuelan government, U.S. officials indicated on Tuesday after President Nicolas Maduro announced his agreement to resume direct talks, just weeks before the July 28 presidential election in Venezuela.

Officials noted that the U.S. had previously expressed support for discussions conducted “in good faith,” but they refrained from confirming Maduro’s statement on Monday regarding an upcoming meeting.

The Socialist president is campaigning for a third term, while Washington has raised concerns about his commitment to conducting a free and fair election, especially after Western governments denounced his 2018 re-election as illegitimate.

Maduro is facing Edmundo Gonzalez, a seasoned former diplomat, who emerged as the main opposition candidate following the Supreme Court’s upholding of a ban on primary winner Maria Corina Machado from holding office—an action that the U.S. condemned at the time.

Gonzalez has received Machado’s endorsement and has gained a notable lead over Maduro in recent opinion polls.

In mid-April, the U.S. reinstated oil sanctions on Venezuela, accusing Maduro of failing to fully adhere to electoral assurances made in agreements with the opposition.

During a television broadcast, Maduro stated that he had accepted Washington’s proposal to restart negotiations “to comply with the agreements signed in Qatar and to re-establish respectful dialogue terms.”

Secret discussions between the U.S. and Venezuela that took place in Qatar late last year facilitated Maduro’s decision to move forward with elections this month.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel emphasized that while the specific details of diplomatic engagements would not be disclosed, the U.S. welcomes dialogue in good faith and supports the Venezuelan population’s desire for competitive and inclusive elections on July 28. He acknowledged that achieving democratic change would be a challenging process requiring serious commitment.

Venezuelan chief negotiator and National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez will be involved in the upcoming talks, although specific topics for discussion were not disclosed.

It remains unclear whether the meeting will occur in person or virtually. A prior meeting between senior U.S. officials and Maduro’s representatives occurred in Mexico in mid-April.