Trump meets Venezuela's president for the first time since Maduro's kidnapping

U.S. President Donald Trump met on Tuesday with Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York, in their first direct encounter since the abduction of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during a U.S. military operation in January. Several senior U.S. officials attended the meeting, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Senior White House Advisor Stephen Miller.

In a post on the social media platform X, Rodríguez said she held a historic meeting with the U.S. President to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations and enhance cooperation in strategic areas, including energy, mining, and security. She also expressed gratitude to the U.S. administration for its support of Venezuela following the earthquakes that struck the country, and for backing what she described as the process of reintegrating Venezuela into international multilateral forums and institutions.

For his part, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Trump and Rodríguez also discussed the restructuring of Venezuela’s sovereign debt, as part of broader economic discussions between the two countries.

Rodríguez is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, marking her first participation in the Assembly’s sessions since assuming the role of acting President of Venezuela.