María Corina Machado denounces U.S. exclusion from Caracas negotiations

According to La Verdad, which published on October 16, 2026, opposition leader María Corina Machado denounced that the United States left her out of the negotiations taking place this week in Caracas between the government of Delcy Rodríguez and sectors of the opposition.

In an interview with The New York Times, the opposition figure also questioned the role of businessman Alejandro Betancourt, who is linked to an agreement with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to manage part of Venezuela's oil reserves, and named him as one of those responsible for the country's economic crisis.

Despite her criticism of the ongoing talks and energy contracts, Machado said she would respect those agreements in a government of her own, provided they comply with national law. She also said she plans to return to Venezuelan territory soon to reorganize her supporters ahead of future electoral processes.

For its part, the U.S. State Department responded to the accusations by saying that the Vente Venezuela party had received an invitation to take part in the dialogues and that the leader retains her right to enter the country. In the same vein, the former deputy proposed the creation of an independent truth commission to investigate allegations of human rights violations attributed to the current administration.