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Venezuela dialogue roadmap
The United States welcomed the opening of a dialogue channel between Venezuela’s interim government and a group of former opposition deputies from the 2015 Venezuelan National Assembly, framing it as a step toward political reconciliation and recovery after recent earthquakes.
In a statement cited by EFE, the State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the Trump administration “acoge con satisfacción el anuncio de la Asamblea Nacional de Venezuela de 2015, encabezado por Dinorah Figuera, y el Gobierno interino venezolano sobre una agenda conjunta que comenzará el 1 de agosto”.
Pigott added that the “devastadores terremotos” that left “miles de muertos y heridos” in the South American country “han puesto en relieve la urgencia de contar con unidad, un liderazgo responsable e instituciones capaces de servir al pueblo venezolano”.
The announcement came as the Venezuelan parliament, controlled by chavismo, and the group of opponents who were part of the 2015 legislature said they would begin a joint roadmap on August 1 to promote democracy in Venezuela.
Diario Las Américas reported that Dinorah Figuera, who chaired the National Assembly in 2015, thanked U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for backing the democratic recovery and said the parties would move forward with unity and responsibility toward recovery and reconstruction.
Rubio, Pigott and Machado
Dinorah Figuera told the story of the dialogue pathway as she thanked U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and responded to a post by State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott about the negotiation process scheduled for August 1.
Diario Las Américas said Figuera posted on X that they reaffirm their commitment to move forward “con unidad y responsabilidad, hacia la recuperación y reconstrucción del país”.
The same outlet reported that on Wednesday María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia met with the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) to evaluate the dialogue pathway agreed by Parliament, controlled by chavismo, and the group led by Figuera.
La Conexión USA said Pigott celebrated the commitment to “strengthen democratic institutions, improve the electoral system, and restore guarantees for political participation,” while also warning that the United States would continue supporting efforts toward a peaceful and democratic electoral transition.
La Conexión USA also tied the announcement to the June 18 meeting between the representatives and to the Trump administration’s January move that ousted Nicolás Maduro and placed the interim government under the tutelage of Delcy Rodríguez.
Earthquake toll and next steps
The dialogue push is being presented alongside the damage and casualties from the twin earthquakes of June 24, with Diario Las Américas citing “at least 4,829 dead, more than 16,700 injured and substantial material damage”.
Diario Las Américas reported that the discussions between Figuera and the president of the National Assembly (AN), the chavista Jorge Rodríguez, began on June 18, just before the earthquakes.
La Conexión USA described the U.S. position that the announcement represents “an important step in the process of political reconciliation” and said the State Department spokesperson linked it to the urgency underscored by the earthquakes.
In parallel, Xpert.Digital set out a different earthquake framing, saying that on 24 June 2026 two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck the coastal region of Venezuela 39 seconds apart, and it claimed that “plus de 3 340 personnes ont perdu la vie” and “plus de 16 740 ont été blessées”.
Xpert.Digital further asserted that the UNDRR estimated direct physical damages at “37 milliards de dollars américains” and said the UN launched a donation appeal equivalent to “260 millions d'euros” to provide aid to “1,3 million de personnes” over the next six months.
