Rubio dismisses Machado's attempted return to Venezuela
Quick Look
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has dismissed Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado's failed attempt to return to Venezuela, saying the US wants to see the 8 million Venezuelans abroad return to their homeland when they feel confident enough, and explained that the decision on elections in the Caribbean country is postponed until the Trump government's 'three-phase plan' is completed after Maduro's capture.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
María Corina Machado, Venezuelan Nobel Peace Prize winner, attempted to return to Venezuela but was blocked three times in the last 48 hours. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented on the event during a press point at the UN General Assembly, explaining the US position on the elections and on the return of Venezuelans abroad.
María Corina Machado is very courageous. It's very close to our hearts but - and I don't want to belittle it - there are 8 million Venezuelans who have left the country.
Thus the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, today dismissed the news of yet another failed attempt to return home to the Venezuelan Nobel Peace Prize winner in a press point on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
"Our policy is to see that community return to their homeland. We want to get to the point where they feel confident enough to return," Rubio added, adding that he had not been informed that Machado had been prevented from returning to Venezuela three times in the last 48 hours. “I was here all day yesterday, so I'm not sure what you're referring to,” he replied.
Trump's representative - who the previous day had participated in the meeting between Donald Trump and interim president Delcy Rodriguez - then addressed the issue of the elections in the Caribbean country, once again postponing the decision to set a date until the completion of the so-called 'three-phase plan' prepared by the Trump government after the capture of former president Nicolas Maduro.
"We don't just want free and fair elections, we want a lasting republic. What would threaten a lasting republic in Venezuela is the election of someone who inherits an absolute economic and social catastrophe," he said, underlining that "debt restructuring" is among the various points to be resolved.
“The second aspect, equally important, is that there must be a political transition process to lay the foundations and rebuild the institutions necessary to hold free and fair elections, which is fundamental,” he added.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
US to announce date for elections in Venezuela after completion of 'three-phase plan'
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- What are the specific conditions that must be met for the safe return of María Corina Machado to Venezuela?
- When will the Trump government's so-called 'three-phase plan' be completed after Maduro's capture?
- What are the details of the Venezuelan debt restructuring mentioned by Rubio?
