Delcy Rodríguez arrives in US to meet Donald Trump

Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, arrived in the United States on Monday to take part in the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to a post on her Instagram account. During her stay, the acting president is expected to hold a bilateral meeting on Tuesday with US President Donald Trump, the first meeting at this level between the two countries in more than eleven years.

The trip represents a historic shift for Venezuelan diplomacy. The last visit by a head of state from that country to the UN took place in 2018, when Nicolás Maduro attended. Maduro is currently detained in a US prison after being captured in January during a military operation in Caracas. Rodríguez's assumption of the role of acting president has opened a new channel of direct dialogue with the White House.

Rodríguez landed at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, where she was received by sectoral vice president for economy Calixto Ortega, vice foreign minister for Europe and North America Oliver Blanco, and US chargé d'affaires in Venezuela John Barrett. The presence of senior economic and diplomatic officials from both sides suggests that the agenda will be focused heavily on rebuilding bilateral relations and trade.

Tuesday's meeting is key to defining the direction of Venezuela's foreign and economic policy. A possible normalization of diplomatic relations could facilitate the country's full reintegration into international financial circuits and open the door to discussions on the complex web of trade sanctions that restrict domestic productive activity.