CIA director John Ratcliffe has met Venezuela's interim leader in Caracas to discuss co-operation, a US official says, in the most senior known visit by a US official since the United States toppled president Nicolas Maduro this month.
Ratcliffe met on Thursday with Delcy Rodriguez at the direction of US President Donald Trump "to deliver the message that the United States looks forward to an improved working relationship," the official said.
They discussed intelligence co-operation, economic stability and the need to ensure Venezuela was no longer a "safe haven for America's adversaries, especially narco-traffickers".
The visit took place the same day that Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gave her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump at the White House.
Since sending troops to seize Maduro, the United States has held back from saying the opposition should take power, despite having previously said Machado's ally rightfully won an election in 2024.
Machado said on Friday she was confident there would be an orderly transition in Venezuela and that eventually there would be free and fair elections.
“This has nothing to do with tension or relations between Delcy Rodriguez and myself,” Machado told a press conference at the Heritage Foundation, but insisted that a "criminal structure" that has dominated Venezuela for years would eventually dismantle itself.
She did not elaborate, however, on how this would happen.
Rodriguez, who served as vice president under Maduro, took over the presidency on an interim basis after the US military seized Maduro and flew him to the United States to stand trial for drug charges.
Trump spoke with Rodriguez by phone on Wednesday, with the two leaders each separately describing the call as positive.
Rodriguez has previously criticised the Trump administration for "kidnapping" Maduro and called for his return.
However, the US has said she is favourable as an interim leader to preserve stability.
The US official said the two-hour Ratcliffe meeting was focused on building trust between the US and Venezuela.
"The director made clear Venezuela can no longer provide support to drug traffickers like TDA," the official said, referring to Tren de Aragua, a criminal gang.
