U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says reconciliation talks enabled Machado’s return and freed hundreds of political prisoners

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that María Corina Machado’s safe return to Venezuela was made possible by reconciliation talks backed by Washington, which he said had already led to the release of hundreds of political prisoners and the return of hundreds of opposition figures from exile.

“The conditions allowing for the safe return of Ms. Machado to Venezuela is the direct result of the U.S.-supported reconciliation talks,” Rubio wrote on X after Machado reappeared in Venezuela following more than 10 months abroad.

Rubio said the United States expected the political freedoms of all sectors in Venezuela to continue to be respected and urged all political actors to support the negotiations.

He described the talks as Venezuela’s best opportunity in 30 years to achieve “not just a free and fair election but an enduring democracy.”

Machado returned Sunday and appeared at a church in Lara state, her first public appearance in Venezuela since leaving the country in December 2025. She has said she intends to push for a date for free and fair presidential elections.

The U.S.-backed reconciliation process involves interim President Delcy Rodríguez’s government and representatives of parts of the opposition. Machado’s movement has not participated directly in the talks.