Trump and Venezuela's Rodríguez Hold First Meeting Since Maduro's Capture

September 22, 2026 — Donald Trump and Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez held an informal pull-aside meeting in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly — their first face-to-face encounter since US forces captured Nicolás Maduro in a January 2026 raid; Maduro remains jailed in New York on federal drug-trafficking charges. Rodríguez's delegation, which included Venezuela's economy vice president, oil minister and PDVSA officials, focused on making the country 'investable,' meeting separately with the IMF, World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank. Rodríguez said the two sides discussed 'strengthening the bilateral relationship' and a cooperation agenda spanning energy, mining and security. The meeting runs parallel to the Caracas government-opposition dialogue track, which held its second round of talks on Sep 17-18.