"The meeting Thursday in Caracas, the capital, lasted two hours, according to a U.S. government official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke Friday on condition of anonymity. The official said the meeting came at the urging of President Donald Trump and was meant to demonstrate the desire by the U.S. for a better relationship with Venezuela."
"Ratcliffe's visit is likely to be seen as another sign of Trump's willingness to work with Rodríguez, who had been Maduro's second in command until the audacious U.S. military operation two weeks ago that spirited him to the United States to face drug trafficking charges. The visit, which included a small team of American officials and was first reported by The New York Times, was intended to lay the groundwork for additional cooperation between the Trump administration and Venezuela's new leaders, the official said."
"Ratcliffe discussed potential economic collaboration between the two countries and warned that Venezuela can never again allow the presence of American adversaries, including drug traffickers, the official said. The CIA played a key role in the operation to apprehend Maduro, providing critical intelligence support, as well as mounting an earlier drone strike on a dock used by cartels, U.S. officials have said."
John Ratcliffe traveled to Caracas and met acting President Delcy Rodríguez for a two-hour meeting aimed at improving U.S.-Venezuela relations. The visit was urged by President Donald Trump and coincided with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presenting her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump. Ratcliffe's visit signals a U.S. willingness to engage with Rodríguez, who had been Maduro's second in command until Maduro was taken to the United States to face drug trafficking charges after a U.S. operation. The visit included a small American team, focused on laying groundwork for cooperation, discussing economic collaboration, and warning against allowing adversaries. The CIA provided key intelligence and carried out earlier strikes supporting the operation.
Read at Fortune
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]