US top diplomat in Venezuela says discussed “transition” with interim leader

• US Chief of Mission Laura Dogu met with Interim President Delcy Rodríguez to discuss "stabilization, economic recovery, and transition," marking a significant step in restoring ties severed in 2019.
• Rodríguez appointed Félix Plasencia as the new envoy to the US and Daniella Cabello to her cabinet, while opposition leader María Corina Machado expressed a cautious willingness to meet with the interim government to define a "transition timeline."

Washington's new top diplomat in Venezuela said that in a meeting Monday with the country's interim president she addressed the issue of a transition after the abduction of Nicolas Maduro.

Chief of mission Laura Dogu said on X that she talked with Delcy Rodriguez about US plans for "stabilization, economic recovery, reconciliation and transition."

Dogu's statement, released on the US embassy's account, was accompanied by a photograph of her speaking with Rodriguez.

In addition to meeting with Dogu, Rodriguez made several key appointments to her presidential cabinet on Monday, including tapping former foreign minister Felix Plasencia to lead Venezuela's diplomatic mission in the United States.

His appointment marked a pivotal change in diplomatic relations between Caracas and Washington, which were severed in 2019 after the United States refused to recognize Maduro's re-election, instead opting to support a parallel government led by then-opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Rodriguez also appointed Daniella Cabello -- the daughter of Venezuela's powerful interior minister, Diosdado Cabello -- as her cabinet's tourism minister.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told reporters during a video call Monday that she would be willing to meet with Rodriguez "if it's necessary" in order to establish a "transition timeline."

"If it's necessary to exchange ideas in a meeting to define a transition timeline, it will happen," she said during the call, according to a transcript.

However, she added that Rodriguez's interim government "is still the mafia. They may have another name, but they are the mafia."