Venezuelan envoy Félix Plasencia to travel to Washington to begin embassy reopening

Félix Plasencia, an envoy of Venezuela’s interim government, planned to travel to Washington on Thursday to meet U.S. officials and begin the process of reopening the Venezuelan embassy, according to Venezuelans and Americans familiar with the matter. The trip would mark the first official visit to the U.S.

capital by a representative of chavismo in years and comes amid a rapid thaw in relations following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. Special Forces on Jan. 3. Mr. Plasencia, a career diplomat and Venezuela’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, is a close ally of the interim president, Delcy Rodríguez.

Mr. Plasencia was expected to arrive the same day President Trump is scheduled to meet opposition leader María Corina Machado, intensifying the rivalry between Venezuela’s competing political camps. Ms. Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, has said Ms. Rodríguez’s claim to power is illegitimate and her movement has presented evidence it says shows Mr.

Maduro committed electoral fraud in the 2024 vote. It was unclear which U.S. officials would receive Mr. Plasencia; he declined to comment and the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. U.S.

Key Topics

World, Félix Plasencia, Venezuelan Embassy, Delcy Rodríguez, María Corina Machado, Nicolás Maduro