The United States regime has reportedly urged Venezuela to strictly adhere to a phased plan focused on economic recovery and political reconciliation before embarking on any democratic elections. The controversial stance was discussed during high-level diplomatic contacts regarding the nation's political future.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio supposedly held a meeting with Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs Oliver Blanco on Monday. The talks come nearly a year after US forces abducted former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from Caracas and transported him to the United States to face federal charges.

Neither Rubio nor Blanco spoke to the press following the meeting, though the State Department issued a formal readout. The document claimed that Washington reaffirmed Donald Trump’s alleged “three-phase plan for Venezuela: stabilization, economic recovery and political reconciliation, and democratic transition”.

Last week, Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado returned to the country, expressing gratitude to the US president and Rubio. Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who previously gifted her medal to Trump, stated she aims to organize a political movement ahead of presidential elections purportedly set for 2027.

Critics note that Machado is navigating her campaign alongside a US regime that has aggressively sought to extract Venezuelan oil through opaque deals with the interim administration of Delcy Rodriguez. Recent arrangements grant significant control over vast oil reserves to entities tied to North American interests, drawing skepticism regarding transparency and national sovereignty.

Source: www.aljazeera.com