President Donald Trump met with Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, according to the White House, marking their first face-to-face meeting and their first encounter since US forces captured then-President Nicolas Maduro in a January raid.
Several US officials attended the meeting alongside Trump, a White House official said, including top advisor Stephen Miller, chief of staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
As a prominent insider and longtime Venezuelan government official, including in her former role as vice president, Rodriguez had been subject to US sanctions and asset freezes that previously prevented her from travelling to the United States.
No further details of Tuesday’s meeting were immediately available.
Rodriguez, who was set to address the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, is the first Venezuelan head of state to visit since ousted then-president Nicolas Maduro was captured in a US military raid in January.
Rodriguez was Venezuela's vice president under Maduro, but has thus far cooperated with Washington's demands, including granting US access to Venezuela's vast oil reserves, the largest in the world.
Trump mentioned Venezuela during his address at the UN on Tuesday, saying: "When you add the United States and Venezuela together, we have more than 60 percent of the oil in the world."
"To the victor belong the spoils," he added.
