The Washington Post revealed on Friday details of secret international negotiations aimed at finding a solution to the crisis related to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and avoiding a US military intervention in Venezuela, but these efforts failed.
The newspaper explained that the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who is the second most important figure in the Vatican after the Pope, summoned the US Ambassador to the Vatican, Brian Brech, on December 24 to inquire about the nature of the US plans towards Venezuela, whether they were only targeting drug dealers or seeking regime change, and urged Washington to provide a safe exit for Maduro.
The newspaper stated that Parolin informed the American diplomat that Russia was ready to grant Maduro asylum, appealing to them to avoid bloodshed and destabilization in Venezuela, but Washington insisted on implementing its plans. A source familiar with the Russian offer reported that it included Maduro leaving the country in exchange for keeping his money, with his security guaranteed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Cardinal Parolin pointed out, according to the documents, that the Venezuela file was part of broader negotiations related to Ukraine. He also explained to the American side that he believed Maduro was ready to step down after the July 2024 elections, which were marred by allegations of fraud, but the hardline Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello convinced him that it could cost him his life.
The informed source added that Moscow also expressed its readiness to grant asylum to other senior Venezuelan officials, but Maduro rejected the offer, believing that the United States would not intervene militarily. In return, American assessments suggested that Maduro refused to go to Russia for fear of not being able to recover the money he had hidden abroad through the Venezuelan gold trade.
A week after the unannounced Vatican meeting, US forces carried out a swift operation that resulted in the arrest of Maduro and his wife and the killing of 100 people, before they were transferred to New York, where they face trial on drug-related charges.
The newspaper stated that the Vatican meeting was one of several failed attempts by Americans and international mediators to avoid a diplomatic crisis and secure a safe exit for Maduro before the military operation, but all of them were met with rejection.
At the same time, Washington was focusing on planning for the post-Maduro era and looking for a potential successor, with US President Donald Trump turning his attention to Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, even though he had imposed sanctions on her during his first term.
In contrast, the Trump administration questioned the eligibility of opposition leader María Corina Machado, considering her unable to gain the trust of the army and the forces that were under the control of Maduro’s allies. Trump’s vision was also influenced by a secret assessment by the Central Intelligence Agency that Maduro’s loyalists might be more effective in running the country after him than the opposition.
