US Intelligence Questions Venezuela’s Interim Leader’s Willingness To Break With US Rivals

U.S. intelligence assessments have raised doubts about whether Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, is prepared to fully cooperate with the Trump administration by formally severing ties with U.S. adversaries, according to four people familiar with the reports who spoke with Reuters late Tuesday.

U.S. officials have publicly pressed Rodriguez to cut relations with close partners such as Iran, China, and Russia, including expelling their diplomats and advisers from Venezuela.

Rodriguez, however, has not publicly committed to such steps. Representatives from those same countries attended her swearing-in ceremony earlier this month. She assumed the presidency after the United States captured former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3.

According to the intelligence reports, it remains unclear whether Rodriguez is fully aligned with Washington’s strategy for Venezuela, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Caracas on January 15 and held talks with Rodriguez about Venezuela’s political future. Reuters was unable to determine whether those discussions altered the intelligence community’s assessment.

Washington is seeking to curb the influence of its adversaries in the Western Hemisphere, including in Venezuela, where President Trump aims to capitalize on the OPEC member’s vast oil reserves.

If Rodriguez were to cut ties with U.S. rivals, it could open the door to increased American investment in Venezuela’s energy sector. A failure to secure her cooperation, however, could undermine Washington’s efforts to steer the country’s interim leadership from a distance and avoid a deeper U.S. military involvement.

Neither the Central Intelligence Agency nor the Venezuelan government responded to requests for comment.

Asked about the intelligence concerns, a senior Trump administration official, who declined to be identified, said President Donald Trump “continues to exert maximum leverage” over Venezuela’s leaders and “expects this cooperation to continue.”

The CIA previously assessed that figures loyal to Maduro, including Rodriguez, were best positioned to govern Venezuela following his ouster.

Critics of Trump’s Venezuela policy have questioned the wisdom of leaving Maduro loyalists in charge during the interim period. Two sources said doubts about Rodriguez’s reliability existed even before the U.S. military operation.

For Venezuela, Washington’s demands would mean abandoning its closest partners outside the region. Iran has assisted in repairing Venezuelan oil refineries, China has taken oil shipments as repayment for debt, and Russia has supplied weapons, including missiles, to the Venezuelan military.

Trump has also identified communist-led Cuba as another adversary he wants Venezuela to distance itself from. Havana has provided security and intelligence assistance in exchange for discounted Venezuelan oil.

Since Maduro’s removal, Rodriguez – whose ties to the oil sector are seen as vital to maintaining stability – has taken steps aimed at appeasing Washington, including freeing political prisoners and authorizing the sale of 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States.

In a speech on Sunday, Rodriguez said she has had “enough” of U.S. intervention. At the same time, U.S. officials have held what they described as positive calls with her in recent days, according to two sources.

Despite the misgivings, U.S. officials see no immediate alternative to working with Rodriguez, given the strong public backing Washington has given her, two of the sources said.

Still, U.S. officials are quietly developing contacts with senior military and security figures in Venezuela should they decide to shift their approach, according to a source briefed on policy discussions.

The intelligence reports also concluded that opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is not currently positioned to govern effectively, partly because she lacks strong ties to Venezuela’s security services and oil industry, the sources said.

Supporters of Machado say her movement won the 2024 election by a wide margin, though the state declared Maduro the victor. She continues to enjoy significant popular support.

Trump said last week that he wanted Machado “involved” in Venezuela’s leadership, without elaborating.

One person familiar with the administration’s discussions said Machado is well regarded in the White House and is viewed as a longer-term leadership option.

Another source briefed on Venezuela policy said Machado could, for now, be considered for an advisory role, though no final decisions have been made.