By Erin Banco, Jonathan.
NEW YORK, Jan 27 (Reuters) – U.S. intelligence reports have raised doubts about whether Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez will cooperate with the Trump administration by formally cutting ties with U.S. adversaries, four people familiar with the reports said in recent days.
US officials have said publicly that they want the interim president to cut ties with close international allies such as Iran, China and Russia, including expelling diplomats and their advisers from Venezuela.
But Rodriguez, whose swearing-in ceremony was attended by representatives of those countries earlier this month, has yet to publicly announce such a move. She became president after the United States captured former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3.
LU.S. intelligence reports said it was unclear whether she was fully in line with US strategy at home, according to the sources, who declined to be identified by name.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled on January 15 to Caracas, where he discussed the country’s political future with Rodriguez. Reuters could not determine whether those conversations changed the intelligence agencies’ opinion.
Washington wants to curb the influence of its enemies in the Western hemisphere, including in Venezuela, where Trump seeks to exploit the OPEC nation’s vast oil reserves.
If Rodriguez were to sever ties with the US rival, it would open up more opportunity for US investment in Venezuela’s energy sector. But Rodriguez’s lack of control could hamper Washington’s efforts to direct the country’s interim leaders from afar and avoid a deeper US military role.
The Central Intelligence Agency and the Venezuelan government did not respond to requests for comment.
Asked for comment, a senior Trump administration official, who declined to be identified, said that US President Donald Trump “continues to exert maximum influence” on Venezuela’s leaders and “expects this cooperation to continue.”
Abandoning LONG Allies?
The CIA previously assessed that officials loyal to Maduro, including Rodriguez, were in the best position to govern the country after his ouster.
But critics of Trump’s strategy for Venezuela have expressed doubts about the wisdom of keeping Maduro loyalists in place as the country’s interim leaders. Concerns about Rodriguez’s reliability predated the US military operation, two sources said.
For Venezuela, the US directive means abandoning its closest allies outside the region. Iran helped Venezuela repair oil refineries while China took the oil as debt repayment. Russia has supplied weapons, including missiles, to the Venezuelan military.
Trump also named Communist-ruled Cuba as another enemy of the United States that he wants Venezuela to abandon. Havana provided security and intelligence support while receiving Venezuelan oil at a discounted rate.
Since the removal of Maduro, Rodriguez, whose deep ties with the oil sector are crucial to keeping the country stable, has taken steps to remain in favor of Washington including the release of political prisoners and the authorization of the sale of 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States.
In a speech on Sunday, Rodriguez said she had “enough” of US intervention. Still, US officials have also had positive calls with her in recent days, according to two of the sources.
The Trump administration sees no immediate alternative to working with Rodriguez, since he has publicly supported her so strongly, two of the sources said.
But American officials are developing contacts with military and senior security officials in case they decide to change their approach, said a source informed about Venezuelan politics.
MACHADO CONSIDERS CHOICE TIL TO LEAD VENEZUELA
Recent intelligence reports also found that opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is currently unable to lead the country successfully partly because she does not have strong ties to the country’s security services or the oil sector, the sources said.
Some observers and Machado’s movement say he won the 2024 election that year by a large margin, although the state supported a Maduro victory. She remains popular with Venezuelans.
Trump told reporters last week that he wanted Machado “involved” in running the country, without providing details.
A person familiar with the administration’s discussions with Machado said she is well liked by the White House and is considered a long-term choice for a leadership position in Venezuela.
The separate source informed about Venezuelan politics suggested that for now, Machado could be considered for an advisory role but no firm decision had been made. Representatives for Machado did not respond to a request for comment.
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