Monday, July 20th 2026 - 19:51 UTC
“I believe the first official conversations will begin the first week of August,” Rubio said at a news conference at Andrews Air Force Base
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that talks to begin a democratic transition in Venezuela will start in early August. Rubio, who leads Washington's relationship with Caracas, said a group representing the National Assembly elected in 2015 —the last one the United States recognizes as legitimate— met with the interim government and agreed to establish a forum for reconciliation talks and to begin the transition process.
“I believe the first official conversations will begin the first week of August,” Rubio said at a news conference at Andrews Air Force Base, before traveling to the Philippines for the ASEAN summit. The announcement coincides with a State Department statement last week backing a joint agenda set to begin on August 1, aimed at stability, democracy and national recovery, with the interim government's endorsement.
The United States has maintained a close relationship with Caracas since January 3, when it launched a military operation that captured Nicolás Maduro and flew him to New York to face criminal charges. Delcy Rodríguez, until then vice president, took over as interim president. Since then, Rubio has laid out a three-phase plan: stabilization, economic recovery and transition.
