Rubio and Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Meet as U.S. Pushes Election Reform

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Venezuela’s foreign minister Oliver Blanco on November 2, 2026 in the State Department’s Treaty Room, marking one of the highest‑level talks between the Trump administration and the interim government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez. The meeting came two weeks after Venezuelan authorities and opposition groups agreed on a blueprint to reform the electoral process for free and fair elections slated for 2027. Rubio said the United States, which removed former President Nicolás Maduro in a January military operation, will watch the talks closely and urge all sides to follow the new process, aiming to build a sustainable election architecture that all parties can trust. Earlier, in September, Rodríguez met President Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly, and in August Energy Secretary Chris Wright sealed a large oil deal with senior Venezuelan officials in Caracas. Rodríguez assumed the interim presidency after the January raid that captured Maduro and brought him to the United States on drug‑trafficking charges, which he denies. Rubio has also spoken with speakers of the current and former Venezuelan parliament and met opposition leader María Corina Machado, who returned to Venezuela last month. ## Context The United States is using diplomatic engagement and economic ties to influence Venezuela’s transition toward elections, a pattern seen in its broader policy of promoting democratic processes in the region.