Rubio says Venezuela pre-cleared Machado's return

Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Monday that Venezuela's interim government informed the United States weeks before opposition leader Maria Corina Machado left the country.

Rubio told reporters that U.S. officials communicated directly with interim authorities to confirm Machado could return without interference. The State Department then relayed that clearance to her team. Rubio described the timeline as covering "weeks and weeks" before her recent departure.

Machado traveled to Norway to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. She had been in exile for roughly one month following the U.S. military capture of former President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro's deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, currently leads the interim government.

The Trump administration is working with Rodriguez on oil extraction and other economic matters. The U.S. expects a transition to a democratically elected government in the future. Machado has indicated she may run for president herself.

Rubio said the interim government is meeting agreed-upon deadlines to replace the Supreme Court and electoral council. These institutions were long used by Maduro's government to control political competition. No specific election date has been announced.

"We have timelines that are agreed to. And so far, they've met every one of the timelines," Rubio said. He added that the infrastructure of the elections needs to change quickly under the established schedules.

Rubio cited compliance with U.S. national security demands as a factor in the cooperation. These demands include diminishing Iranian and Cuban influence and extraditing individuals wanted by American authorities. He also pointed to the administration's ability to grant sanctions relief and economic licenses as incentives.

"The United States has significant influence over the direction that these talks go and the results that we get from them," Rubio said. He noted that the U.S. could withhold these benefits if cooperation stalled.

Asked if Rodriguez and her brother Jorge, who leads the National Assembly, were offered immunity from prosecution, Rubio said there was "definitely no talk about prosecutions or anything of this nature." He did not directly address whether a formal offer of immunity had been made.

Rubio explained that he only discouraged Machado from returning once. That was immediately after a specific event where the U.S. focused on logistical operations for humanitarian relief. He said the priority at that moment was getting planes with aid into the country.

Machado has criticized aspects of the administration's economic deals with the interim government, including an oil deal. Rubio defended the agreement as a way to attract private investment. He said her objections were separate from the question of democratic elections.

"She doesn't have to agree with it or like it," he said regarding the oil deal. He warned that failing to reach a negotiated transition could lead to a return to authoritarianism or armed conflict. However, he expressed confidence that the interim authorities would continue cooperating with the process.