Spanish
Washington/ Caracas. – The United States held discreet talks with Diosdado Cabello, one of the most powerful men in Chavismo, months before the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, which occurred at the beginning of January 2026, according to sources cited by the Reuters agency and several international media outlets.
According to the report, the contacts began in mid-2025, when officials from the administration of President Donald Trump opened communication channels with Cabello, current Minister of the Interior and considered the "number two" of the Venezuelan ruling party.Sources indicated that Washington's main goal was to avoid an escalation of violence after an eventual fall of the president, urging Cabello to not order repressive actions by the security forces or the armed militias loyal to Chavismo.The conversations were held before and after the operation that culminated in Maduro's arrest.
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Contact with Cabello is particularly significant because he also faces drug trafficking charges in US courts, under the same file that involved Maduro. However, he was not captured during the operation, which has raised questions about his role in the new Venezuelan political scenario. It has not yet been determined whether the exchanges between the administration of Donald Trump and Diosdado Cabello included matters related to the future governance scheme in Venezuela. Similarly, it is unknown whether the influential leader has heeded the warnings issued by Washington. So far, Cabello has publicly reiterated his commitment to unity with Delcy Rodríguez, a figure who has received praise from Trump in recent statements.
