He wants to convince the world that a new Venezuela is possible.
And this Wednesday he launched one of the most direct messages so far towards the United States and Europe in the midst of the geopolitical turn around the South American country. “Do not be afraid of a Venezuela free of sanctions.”
The Venezuelan president in charge pronounced that phrase during an event in the state of Anzoátegui, in the east of the country, in the midst of a political and symbolic campaign with which she tries to reinforce the image of international openness of the new Chavismo that emerged after the capture of by US forces last January.
From isolated Chavismo… to rapprochement with Trump
The scene would have seemed completely impossible just a few months ago. Because Delcy Rodríguez was for years one of the harshest faces of Chavismo and a figure sanctioned internationally by the US and the European Union.
Now, however, it has become the centerpiece of the new relationship between Caracas and Washington after the fall of Maduro. Since assuming the interim presidency, the United States has been progressively relaxing part of the sanctions on: oil, mining and the Venezuelan financial system.
This relief has allowed the return of energy investments and the approach of large international companies to Venezuela after years of isolation.
“Venezuela does not deserve the sanctions”
In his speech, Rodríguez insisted that his country does not deserve to continue being subjected to the international economic blockade. “Do not be afraid of unlocked Venezuela,” he repeated several times before Chavista sympathizers.
And he defended that the Venezuelan people have historically demonstrated “friendship” and “cooperation” with other countries. The leader was participating in a walk organized by the ruling party to demand the definitive lifting of international sanctions, a kind of “pilgrimage“politics that Chavismo has turned into one of its new great mobilizing symbols.
“Our pilgrimage seeks to join forces”he stated.
The big change after Maduro’s capture
This entire new stage is born directly from one of the most surreal and explosive events in recent international politics: the capture of Nicolás Maduro by US forces during a military operation in Caracas in January 2026.
That operation caused a global political earthquake. And he left Delcy Rodríguez at the head of a Government that has been trying to survive ever since, maintain internal control and at the same time partially open to the West.
Rodríguez herself initially went from denouncing the “kidnapping” of Maduro to begin a pragmatic rapprochement with Washington shortly after.
The US relaxes… but Europe remains distrustful
However, the international rapprochement remains very fragile. Although the Trump Administration has softened many of the economic sanctionsEurope maintains enormous reservations towards the new Venezuelan Government.
Just a few weeks ago, the European Parliament asked not to lift sanctions linked to human rights violations until Venezuela really move towards a democratic transition.
And international organizations continue to denounce that there continue to be political prisoners and repressive structures inherited from Madurism.
Chavismo tries to reinvent itself
Meanwhile, Delcy Rodríguez tries to project a completely different image of classic Chavismo.
- More technocratic.
- More pragmatic.
- More open to foreign investment.
But many opponents believe the change is more cosmetic than real. And that the power apparatus remains essentially the same, only adapted to the new international context.
Oil changes everything again
Deep down, a good part of the new approach has a very specific explanation:
the energy. The war with Iran, the tension in the Middle East and the need to stabilize oil markets have once again placed Venezuela at the center of the international table.
Y Washington seems increasingly willing to prioritize stability and oil over a total confrontation with Caracas. That is why Delcy Rodríguez’s phrase has so much political charge. Because he not only asks for the end of sanctions.
He also tries to convince the West of something much deeper: that he should no longer see Venezuela solely as an enemy.
