Full story
Maduro backs talks
Nicolás Maduro, detained in the United States after a U.S. military raid in January, used his official Telegram account to welcome “any path to dialogue” in Venezuela as government and opposition representatives prepare to begin political dialogue next week in person under American supervision.
““We welcome any path to dialogue that helps consolidate peace, coexistence, and reconciliation among Venezuelans,””
EFE said Maduro’s X account, dated in New York where he is detained along with his wife Cilia Flores, greeted this Sunday “any path of dialogue that helps to consolidate peace, coexistence and the encounter.”
The negotiations are set to advance toward a transition after a Washington-backed process began on Saturday, with the government delegation led by Delcy Rodríguez and an opposition group committing to address “political rights and guarantees.”
National Assembly head Jorge Rodríguez, described as the chief government negotiator and the interim president’s brother, said the timing was agreed after a telephone call with opposition figure Dinorah Figuera, and the talks are expected to begin in person in Caracas in the coming week.
The process is taking place without the participation of Nobel peace laureate María Corina Machado, who has said she will not obstruct the process, as the dialogue’s agenda includes post-quake assistance, the “reinforcement of democracy,” and political rights.
Machado absent
While Maduro’s messages from prison urged dialogue, the talks are scheduled without the main Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who is described as a Nobel peace laureate and has said she will not obstruct the process.
TF1 Info reported that Maduro’s message welcomed “any path to dialogue that helps to consolidate peace, coexistence and the meeting among Venezuelans,” as the government and the opposition announced on Saturday that the political dialogue will begin next week under American supervision.
CiberCuba said the first in-person meeting in Caracas is set for next week and that the discussions proceed without the direct participation of María Corina Machado, who has stated she will not obstruct the process.
CiberCuba also said the agenda for the first meeting includes addressing the victims of the June 24 double earthquake, the strengthening of democracy, and the political rights and guarantees, with the talks taking place as Maduro and Flores remain detained in the United States.
In the background of the negotiations, EFE described protests in Caracas from different sectors, including a group of chavistas convened by the Popular Anti-Imperialist Front that denounced Washington’s interference in what they called a “Machiavellianly designed transition process by imperialism.”
Trial and transition
Beyond the dialogue, the sources tie Maduro’s prison statements to a defined legal timeline in the United States, with the trial in the oral phase scheduled to begin on June 1, 2027 before U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein of the Southern District of New York.
“the trial in the United States against Maduro and his wife will begin on June 1, 2027”
Primicias said the trial in the United States against Maduro and his wife will begin on June 1, 2027, and it also reported that Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty while remaining imprisoned in a U.S. jail in New York.
CiberCuba added that Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, were captured in a U.S. military operation on January 3, 2026 and remain detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, charged with drug trafficking, narco-terrorism and weapons- and corruption-related crimes.
The sources also describe what is at stake for Venezuelans in the immediate negotiations, with Jorge Rodríguez saying the talks will address post-quake assistance, the “reinforcement of democracy,” and political rights, while the first meeting’s agenda includes “attention” to the June 24 twin earthquakes.
In parallel, the Free Malaysia Today account said the U.S. is pushing for a political dialogue that could lead to a timetable for future elections in Venezuela, as Maduro’s comments arrive “at a key moment” when transition talks are expected to begin in person in Caracas.
