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Trump to meet Machado as pressure builds on Venezuela
A sudden pivot in Washington’s Venezuela strategy
Washington is preparing for a high-stakes meeting that could reshape the next chapter of Venezuela’s political crisis. The White House has confirmed that Donald Trump will sit down this week with Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado, a move that signals renewed pressure on Caracas to accelerate the release of political prisoners.
The meeting comes at a moment of deep uncertainty in Venezuela. After US forces seized long-time authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro earlier this month, Washington announced it would effectively oversee the country’s interim transition. Since then, the Trump administration has taken an unexpected route, sidelining Machado and opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia while engaging directly with acting president Delcy Rodriguez, a close Maduro ally left in charge in Caracas.
Families wait as releases fall short
On paper, progress appears to be happening. Venezuelan authorities say 116 detainees have been freed in recent days. On the ground, the picture looks far grimmer.
Outside El Rodeo prison near Caracas, relatives have been sleeping in tents for days, waiting for names to be called that never are. Human rights groups and UN-mandated experts estimate that between 800 and 1,200 political prisoners remain behind bars, with only a fraction actually released so far. Families say some detainees were quietly removed through back exits, leaving loved ones stranded outside with no answers.
The frustration has spilled onto social media, where images of exhausted parents and handwritten placards have gone viral among Venezuelans at home and abroad. Many are asking whether international pressure is being applied quickly enough or whether the releases are little more than symbolic gestures.
Oil, leverage, and Washington’s warning
Trump’s approach has been blunt. He has publicly warned Rodriguez that access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves depends on her government following Washington’s demands, particularly on human rights. Behind the scenes, US envoys have already been in Caracas discussing the possible reopening of the American embassy, shuttered seven years ago when diplomatic ties collapsed.
Speaking over the weekend, Trump said his administration was working “really well” with Rodriguez and hinted that those freed should feel fortunate that the United States intervened. The comments have divided opinion online, with some praising the tough stance while others argue it risks legitimising figures closely tied to Maduro’s rule.
Machado turns to the Vatican
As the diplomatic chess game plays out, Machado has broadened her appeal. Earlier this week, she met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, urging him to intercede on behalf of Venezuelans she says remain “kidnapped and disappeared.”
Machado has framed the slow pace of releases as a form of ongoing violence against families, echoing Gonzalez Urrutia’s warning that every passing hour deepens the trauma. The opposition continues to insist that Urrutia is the legitimate winner of the disputed 2024 presidential election, a claim recognised by much of the international community.
A fragile transition under the spotlight
In Caracas, Rodriguez has responded by reshuffling key positions, appointing trusted figures from Maduro’s inner circle to sensitive security roles. At the same time, her government has spoken of pursuing a “new agenda” with the European Union and Britain following talks with their envoys, suggesting a careful balancing act between reform signals and consolidating control.
Machado, who received the Nobel Peace Prize last year and publicly dedicated it to Trump, now enters the White House meeting with her international profile at its highest. Whether that translates into faster releases and a credible transition to democracy remains uncertain.
For families still camped outside prison gates, the stakes are painfully simple. Promises mean little without loved ones walking free.
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Source: IOL
Featured Image: OPB
